Documents detail known contamination as Bonita school options weighed

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BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – Documents show there were major issues with land located off of Imperial Parkway before the Lee County School District chose it as the site of a new school.

Many nearby residents complained that the site was contaminated with asbestos before the school district made its decision on April 19. A company called Posen Construction was responsible for the contamination and was charged in 2009 with its removal, documents show.

They go into great detail explaining the removal of contaminated pipes, other material containing asbestos and top layers of soil from the site in 2009. The Imperial Parkway site passed thorough analysis, signaling “no asbestos detected,” in January 2010.

County government officials were aware of the presence of asbestos at the site, according to an email from December 2009. Lee County’s Environmental specialist, Leigh Simmons, was also aware that the soil was not free of contamination.

In the same email, Simmons assures a development company that the asbestos has been removed from the soil, but also notes “the diesel contaminated soil has yet to be addressed.”

That means the county has known about the potential contamination of the Imperial Parkway site for seven years.

On Monday, the Lee County School District said engineers sampled the soil and found possible traces of diesel. Hours later, the district lost its contract with the property owner, citing a miscommunication about a requested extension for tests on the soil. The contract expired Monday at 5 p.m.

The Imperial Parkway site could still be considered, Superintendent Greg Adkins said Tuesday. A second contested site, off Bonita Beach Road will reenter the pool of options under the district’s consideration. The school board could also expand Estero High School and build a new high school in the Gateway area.

Simmons is still listed as an environmental specialist with Lee County.

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