October 30, 2003
LaBrake is a scumbag
Contamination of city land that once housed a chemical company threatens groundwater supplies in a Tampa neighborhood, officials said Wednesday.High levels of petroleum, heavy metals and dry-cleaning solvents have been detected at 1529 W. La Salle St., former site of the defunct Tarpon Chemical and Supply Co. east of Rome Avenue and south of Interstate 275.
......The city acquired the property along with hundreds of others after affordable housing efforts collapsed in the wake of the scandal surrounding former city housing chief Steve LaBrake.
A house moved from a south Tampa lot to make room for a home LaBrake had built was relocated to the contaminated property. The unoccupied house sits near a concrete foundation and two pipes that are the remains of the chemical company, which vacated the land in the 1980s.
......Contaminants that exceeded state standards in soil tests included chromium (62 milligrams per kilogram), ethylbenzene (1.6 mg per kg), tetrachloroethene (1.1) and vinyl chloride (.0089). Contaminants that exceeded state standards in groundwater samples included chromium (0.6 mg per liter) and lead (.056).
......The city normally checks for contamination before acquiring property.
But it didn't know about the La Salle pollution when it took control of the land in June 2002 from Tampa Hillsborough Action Plan, the nonprofit agency that had been involved in the city's housing loan program.
THAP had acquired the La Salle site and others with federal help. But the city cut ties with THAP after the agency was accused of doing favors for LaBrake and Lynne McCarter, who was his girlfriend and a subordinate employee.
City officials have said improper use of federal grants in a low-cost housing program run by LaBrake and involving THAP might force the city to repay $4 million.
......Moving the house to the La Salle property in 1998 to make room for LaBrake's south Tampa home didn't cause the contamination, Salmon said.
No, the house did not cause the contamination of this lot, but it may complicate the cleanup, and it’s illustrative of how the city conducted business under LaBrake’s slimy tutelage. The house was moved to the lot in 1998 to make room for a house LaBrake was having built for himself in a much more expensive neighborhood in South Tampa. LaBrake acquired the South Tampa property and then had his construction buddies (to whom he gave tons of city work) build him an expensive house and charge him much less than market value. At the very least, he used his position of public trust to profit financially. A grand jury is meeting to determine if any other malfeasance was involved.
It cost $24,000 to move this house to a contaminated lot where it sat for 4 years before anyone knew that the lot was polluted. Obviously, there were never any plans to rehab and sell this house - it was simply parked on this lot to make room for LaBrake’s new mansion.
And, you know, it’s just possible that Steve LaBrake might have known something was wrong with this property, since a chemical factory once occupied the site and all the neighbors seem to have had their own suspicions:( continued from today’s TT article)
Tarpon Chemical and Supply, incorporated in 1962, operated a storage and retail facility on the property. Records show the company was dissolved in 1986, and former President Fred Schlichte died in 1992.
``If there are any vestiges of the company, our attorneys would like to talk to them,'' Salmon said.
Debbie Tramel, who lives in a nearby apartment complex with her two children, said a man who used to live on the property told residents that chemicals were buried near his house.
``Everyone knew something was there,'' she said, ``but we still don't know what.''
Posted by Norwood at October 30, 2003 09:26 AM