The Illinois attorney general’s office and the owners of the former Pillsbury Mills site agreed that the property has been properly secured after deficiencies were spotted last month in fencing surrounding the North End property.
The two sides reported the agreement to Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Madonia at a court appearance Thursday afternoon.
Last month, the attorney general’s office asked that the court hold the owners in contempt because the site had not been secured against tresspassers, as a court order requires.
Madonia scheduled another status hearing for January to be sure the owners continue following through.
Still, he expressed frustration that the 2015 case, which stemmed from complaints of improperly disposed of asbestos, is dragging on. “Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?” he asked. “How do we see this ending?”
Christina Nannini, an assistant attorney general, said her office is waiting on more information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency has a lien of around $2 million after it removed 2,200 tons of debris contaminated with asbestos from the property in 2017. The agency can decide how to collect that money.
“We are pleased the defendants addressed the security issues identified in our petition,” a statement from the Attorney General’s office reads. “And we will take any necessary actions to ensure that they continue making repairs as we request them, as required under the preliminary injunction order.”
Co-owners Joseph Chernis III and Joseph Chernis IV were present in court Thursday, as well as Kirk Laudeman, the attorney representing the third co-owner, Keith Crain. The younger Chernis and Laudeman declined NPR Illinois' request for comment.
Chris Richmond is the former fire marshal for Springfield and head of the Moving Pillsbury Forward group. He provided an affidavit to the court about holes in the fencing.
Richmond said there were new issues with the fencing he saw this week that need to be addressed, but he’s hopeful the owners will take care of it after the court appearance.
Richmond said he understood the judge’s frustration.
“It takes an awful lot of folks coming together from different angles, legally, from the community angle, our local elected officials, everybody needs to come together to actively problem solve this relatively complex situation,” he said.
The site has been an eyesore and a hazard to the neighborhood. In October a dog was spotted high up on a silo; a couple days later, the dog was found dead, apparently from ingesting rat poison . The incident has led to renewed interest in cleanup and development.
In a separate but related federal case, the younger Chernis pleaded guilty to the illegal removal of asbestos and was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Court documents claim asbestos-laden materials were kept in open storage containers. He was released in July, according to The State Journal-Register .
Beyond what the EPA is trying to collect, the owners are years behind in real estate taxes.
Moving Pillsbury Forward has suggested the city of Springfield take on the property to help clean it up, and then return it to private ownership. But city officials have so far rejected the idea.
“It's important for us to work on the safety and security of the site,” Richmond said. He said he has heard that is a priority for the residents who live in the neighborhood. “While at the same time we work toward a legal remedy for legal ownership.”
Moving Pillsbury Forward is hosting another meeting on January 15 at Lanphier High School.
