Inside the Park View Inn

[strider]

To all those who for years have asked for this structure to be torn down, this is a definite "watch what you wish for, it may come true."....   All the pushing for something to be done, all the calls made to attempt getting your wishes and this is what you ...and we ... get.. Another parking lot...but not,  as this one will still have an ugly two story, half done looking parking garage on it.  I would rather have that half burnt empty building that may some day have been a nice place again than a half aXX parking garage that will be there for ever!

[DavidWilliams]

I don't want another parking lot. What can be done with it? Anyone know? In it current state of decay it seems hopeless for the structure.

[buckethead]

Here is a shot provided by a really good photographer who has posted many shots (mostly surfing but some more diverse) on surf-station dot com MB St Auggie

More great shots

There are some really great shots of the Park View Inn as well as a closed steel manufacturing plant (as he described it) somhere west of town. Maybe someone could identify it too?

Kid has an eye, and is shooting renegade style. No permission.

[stephendare]

Thanks for the link, buckethead, and you are right, the kid really does have an eye

[thelakelander]

The steel plant is the old National Wire Southeast (?) mill on West Church Street.  It's directly north of JTA's property and a part of the plant has been built over the old S-Line ROW.

[riverside_mail]

Good call, Lake. I remember delivering mail there when i first started at the Post Office. I believe it's been vacant about 8 years or so.

[stephendare]

To fully assess the site, private commercial properties in the surrounding area may need to be assessed and it is my understanding that the State is currently pushing the owners to perform the necessary work.    Once the investigation has been completed we will be better able to determine what the options are for addressing the contamination and estimate a schedule for the cleanup of the Park.

This paralells what Robert has said exactly.

[Dan B]

no significant contamination found at the spot.  This was an untrue campaign actually.

The EHThompson building is owned by Petra and they are doing their best to fill it.

Yup. None at all.

[stephendare]

no significant contamination found at the spot.  This was an untrue campaign actually.

The EHThompson building is owned by Petra and they are doing their best to fill it.

Yup. None at all.

conflation and exaggeration.  They seem to be your only real weapons at times.

Classwork assignment.  Discuss the differences between No Contamination at All and No Significant Contamination.

Bonus Question:  Are these two states automatically the same thing?

[stephendare]

I have posted the Sanbornes before, and I have seen the DEP reports that show the "blob" as they have mapped it from cores. There is also industrial (non-petroleum) contamination under the old Claude Noland Cadillac that Hionides owns. He has vowed to address the issues of the Claude Noland building when the Park View in is addressed. I believe his remediation of the site has already begun, but I will double check. He feels any effort to redo the building now would be virtually for not with the Park View as it sits. Time will hopefully tell as one of the obstacles is about to be addressed.

As far as who I challenge and how, you are so far out of left field and grinding your own personal axe that you cant see straight. I have developed a good relationship with Hionides company as well, yet I still make phone calls and try to encourage them to do things like put glass in buildings and take down chain link and keep lots clean. I would say the exact same is true for Van Horn. I have emailed him and called him several times about over grown lots, open buildings, and other issues. I may pull my punches in as much as I am not a total jerk, but I still try to get the issues addressed as much as any ordinary citizen can.

From what I see, Hionides and Van Horne have begun remediation (and in some cases finished) on sites they know to be polluted, yet Van Winkle has tried to twist the pollution issues as though it is the creek polluting his lot (which is up hill from the creek and park), yet the ONLY place in the area that has  a history of petroleum production is that lot.

All of that said, since you dont believe me, why not ask Doug Vanderlaan. He sat in all of those meetings with me. Also, any one in the Springfield Womans club should be able to answer the questions as well as their efforts in the park have time and again been thwarted because of this same issue. So please, feel free to completely disregard me. I am ok with that.

[stephendare]

The contamination I have always been talking about is oil contamination and it is at the bedrock level and slowly migrating downhill (The creek, park and moving ever so slowly to the SE under the creek). This is documented with several environmental agencies and the city. Soil contamination may ALSO be an issue, but its not the issue that held up site development so far as I understood it.

This demolition will be good for Springfield as it tears down what is basically a big overgrown, dilapitated wall to our community. It will also be good for the creek/parks/St Johns, because the site can be properly remediated.

I agree, it would have been great if rather than sit on the property, it were developed starting soon after it was condemned in 1999, but the owner chose to let it sit and countless fires (and a couple of career ending injuries) later, it is nothing but an eye sore with no end in site.

If almost 10 years isnt enough to come up with a plan, I think the city is justified in tearing down this non-historic, non-contributing strucutre.

Good riddance.

[stephendare]

I beg to differ. The reason the park and the creek have oil contamination is because of that site. You simply cannot clean up the park and creak without cleaning up the source contamination.

I think they need to take the building down, do a full remediation, then get it back on the market for development. As it sits, nothing is moving forward, its creating  a barrier between Springfield and Downtown, and its a safety hazard. We already had a firefighters career ended because of that nasty old building... Time to s%$t or get off the pot, one way or the other.

[Dan B]

I beg to differ. The reason the park and the creek have oil contamination is because of that site. You simply cannot clean up the park and creak without cleaning up the source contamination.

I think they need to take the building down, do a full remediation, then get it back on the market for development. As it sits, nothing is moving forward, its creating  a barrier between Springfield and Downtown, and its a safety hazard. We already had a firefighters career ended because of that nasty old building... Time to s%$t or get off the pot, one way or the other.

I agree!

[stephendare]

I beg to differ. The reason the park and the creek have oil contamination is because of that site. You simply cannot clean up the park and creak without cleaning up the source contamination.

I agree!

well that makes one.

[stephendare]

You do realize that Hogans creek is polluted pretty much from top to bottom, by many different sources, right?

I beg to differ. The reason the park and the creek have oil contamination is because of that site. You simply cannot clean up the park and creak without cleaning up the source contamination.

I do, in fact.  Something youve never wanted to talk about before

Im aware that your site is the opposite end of springfield from the hotel,

Just wonder why hes an asshole for doing the same thing you are proposing to do with the skatepark.

What the hell are you talking about, I have never claimed the Park View is responsible for the entire creeks ills. This is something you gave birth to, as a way to smear me.

There is a pond that was allegedly filled in with trash at 4th and Pearl, there was once an auto body that sat at McKissick And Laura, there is ask contamination in Schell and McPherson Park.

Not to mention the problem with Fecal Coliforms and other bacteria, the source of which has never been identified conclusively.

Im sorry you didnt sit in countless hours of meeting with DEP, ACoE, Health, State, and City people listening to the laundry list of problems.