?By reporter Steven Smalley
A Magnolia Voice news tipper delivered a hot one that sent reporters to Discovery Park to investigate construction activities around the former officers quarters, now for sale at a reported value of $15 million.
Park visitors noticed large pieces of construction equipment, including dump trucks and a backhoe, digging out the front and side yards surrounding many of the historic former military homes. Information on the project was not immediately forthcoming which raised suspicions. Fears were allayed when a spokesperson for Forest City, the leasing agent for the homes, explained that since 1905 when the homes were built by the military, lead paint had leached into the ground contaminating some of it.
The current project removes dirt and grass from the surface of the yards and replaces it in a soil remediation effort prior to the sale of the homes. Surface water from downspouts will be channeled through new pipes which will divert it into a proper drainage system.
No word yet on who the new owners may be or if an offer has been made.
As an environmental remediation professional specializing in soil remediation, I am extremely skeptical of the statement that ” lead paint had leached into the ground contaminating some of it”. Something else is afoot at these properties. It is more likely that fill contaminated with lead was imported during construction of these properties, or at some point thereafter. Absent relatively acidic conditions, lead will not “leach” into soil.
The homes are over 100 years old, I can imagine that until the 1980s, it was common to simply scrape the old paint as needed before repainting and all of that landed on the ground around the homes?
How would one ascertain from public records what they’re up to?
BTW, the City of Seattle is out of the picture. This is federal.
You guys need to learn to use google search:
https://docs.google.com/a/friendsdiscoverypark.org/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZnJpZW5kc2Rpc2NvdmVyeXBhcmsub3JnfGZyaWVuZHMtb2YtZGlzY292ZXJ5LXBhcmt8Z3g6NTcyOTY4NGJhZGI4MDI3NA
https://docs.google.com/a/friendsdiscoverypark.org/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZnJpZW5kc2Rpc2NvdmVyeXBhcmsub3JnfGZyaWVuZHMtb2YtZGlzY292ZXJ5LXBhcmt8Z3g6MTBjY2EwZGY5ZTVhNjA2ZQ
https://docs.google.com/a/friendsdiscoverypark.org/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZnJpZW5kc2Rpc2NvdmVyeXBhcmsub3JnfGZyaWVuZHMtb2YtZGlzY292ZXJ5LXBhcmt8Z3g6MzNhODY1MTJiNGRiYmMx