To the Editor:
Recent news reports indicate that perhaps up to 150 Snohomish County firefighters may have been exposed to asbestos or other toxic and hazardous elements during the recent burndown and demolition of the structures on Pine Street.
I was assured by all the relevant local and state governmental agencies that I contacted that there was no danger of exposure to us.
If any random citizen of the City of Snohomish or anyone in the nearby environs had wanted to burn down their structure located in a residential neighborhood of the city or its environs there would have been several regulatory issues/hurdles that they would have had to been overcome. Was an Environmental Impact Statement filed? If so, what was the outcome?
Were the effects of the toxic smoke, asbestos and effluent released into the environs, air, Pilchuck River, as well as its bordering residential areas considered before the burndown?
The same question may be in order concerning the issue of the Trichlorethylene in the ground and water table beneath this site.
Was “Due Diligence” followed through by the City of Snohomish and Fire District 4 in terms of the Environmental Impact before this burn down and the sighting of the proposed and planned new City of Snohomish’s new government campus and the new Snohomish County Fire District 4 Fire Station?
If you see something, say something.
David Clay
Snohomish
