- Credibility:
LITTLE VILLAGE — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will host a meeting Tuesday to detail their plans to clean up the old Crawford Coal Power Plant in Little Village.
The community meeting, from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Universidad Popular, 2801 S. Hamlin Ave., aims to address concerns as ongoing demolition and remediation efforts continue at the site, said Kim Biggs, an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman. Developer Hilco Partners plans to build a massive warehouse at the site, and earlier this year, a fire broke out when crews worked to dismantle an electrical transformer on the property.
Representatives from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the site’s project manager will give a presentation, followed by a question and answer session, Biggs said.
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) requested the meeting to gather more information on the inspections made during the cleanup effort, according to an email from the group.
Hilco Partners purchased the 70-acre site in 2017. They received City Council approval to remediate the site and build a one-million-square-foot distribution center last year.
The site is part of the IEPA’s Site Remediation Program.
RELATED: Massive Little Village Warehouse On Old Crawford Coal Plant Site Approved By City Council
The Crawford Power Plant was shut down in 2012 after community-led efforts raised concerns about the impact coal pollution was having on the health of Little Village residents.
The Hilco plan has sparked anger among residents who fear the distribution center will bring more diesel trucks and increase pollution in the neighborhood.
The Crawford Power Plant was shut down in 2012 after community-led efforts raised concerns about the impact coal pollution was having on the health of Little Village residents.
The Hilco plan has sparked anger among residents who fear the distribution center will bring more diesel trucks and increase pollution in the neighborhood.
Last year, Hilco officials told residents they would begin demolition and remediation in 2019. The distribution center is expected to be completed in 2020.
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