Fort Myers could approve Dunbar sludge cleanup contracts Tuesday

The City of Fort Myers will take a big step towards cleaning up a toxic dumping site in the Dunbar neighborhood Tuesday.

Officials will present contracts for site preparation, excavation and disposal of lime sludge at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Families living in homes near the Dunbar toxic sludge site found out about arsenic and other toxins in their neighborhood last summer.

FULL COVERAGE: Dunbar sludge 

The City now has permission from three homeowners to get to the site from their property to start removing the toxic waste. Crews will first need to remove trees to create a work space.

The removal, transport and recycling will cost at least $3.2 million and will take at least three months.

Contractors plan to load more than 30,000 tons of sludge material onto trucks, and haul it to Citrus County for pre-treatment before sending it to Alabama for recycling.

“When I see that stuff moving, then I’m gonna believe it, that they’re doing what they’re supposed to do,” said one Dunbar resident.

WINK News Reporter Andrea Henderson was live from Dunbar where crews plan to build a work site. Watch the full segment above.

The meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Oscar M. Corbin Jr. City Hall, 2200 Second Street, Fort Myers, Fl.