4132 N. Holton St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Milwaukee government agencies continue to deal with toxic chemicals left behind at Milwaukee Die Casting’s northside plant.

The shuttered company’s property, located just north of W. Capitol Dr., and surrounding sewers will cost more than $15 million to clean up when all is said and done. From 1952 to 1997, MDC made aluminum and zinc alloy parts for a variety of industries at 4132 N. Holton St.

In 2007, an unsuspecting cleaning crew dislodged polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from a nearby public sewer triggering $4.7 million in costs for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District as the chemicals made their way into the agency’s Milorganite fertilizer product and, ultimately, onto a number of public fields.

The toxic chemicals, banned in 1978, came from hydraulic fluids used in MDC’s equipment.

The 3.7-acre property had been owned by Robert Slyman for decades, but he passed away in 2009. Multiple agencies had to seek court orders to force incremental cleanups of the property.

In 2012, the federal Environmental Protection Agency labeled the abandoned, 70,000-square-foot factory “an imminent and substantial threat to public health and the environment.” The agency said it contained “numerous physical and chemical hazards” including uncontained asbestos.

Pharmacia LLC and Fisher Controls International LLC, through the federal Superfund enforcement process, agreed to pay the estimated $4 million cleanup costs. The firms were identified as potentially responsible parties because they previously owned MDC or were involved in the manufacture of PCBs.

By 2014 demolition was underway at the site. It was completed in 2015. The effort included installing a two-foot-deep clay cap, removing a tunnel network and hauling away more than 20,000 pounds of contaminated materials.

The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee took ownership of the site through property tax foreclosure to allow the demolition to progress.

But the contamination of the nearby sewers still needs to be addressed. A contractor is using vacuum equipment to perform the work.

MMSD estimated the removal work cost at $5.8 million in 2019. The district, in 2017, approved an approximately $700,000 contract to investigate and design the cleanup plan. The 2021 MMSD budget bundles the cleanup project with other repairs and improvements to the interceptor sewer, designed to extend its life for 50 years, and gave a total cost of $12.3 million.

The interceptor sewer being cleaned and repaired is a main sewer line known as Basin H and runs roughly parallel to N. Humboldt Blvd. from W. Burleigh St. to north of W. Capitol Dr.

The MDC property is served by both storm and sanitary sewers, unlike much of the surrounding area which is connected to a combined sewer system. Both sewers were found to be contaminated by PCBs, a particularly notable issue for the storm sewer that drains directly into the adjacent Milwaukee River.

The city is reimbursing MMSD for the cleanup of its sewer that feeds the interceptor. A resolution pending before the Common Council would allocate up to $400,000 for the project.

The city is also attempting to sell the property for $163,000. Responses to a request for proposals (RFP) were due April 21, 2021. The Department of City Development‘s website says a sale is pending, but no file has been introduced to the council.

A DCD spokesperson confirmed that the sale isn’t being delayed by the sewer cleanup.

Located in the Riverworks business park, the city’s RFP called for a use involving light manufacturing, an office, contractor’s shop or distribution facility. The EPA’s remediation report says the site isn’t suited for housing.

Photos

Weekly Recap

New Apartment Building Will Include Six-Story Mural

A new Walker’s Point apartment building could become quite the landmark for the neighborhood.

The six-story Taxco Apartments complex was already going to be hard to miss. When finished later this year it will fill a half block of S. 5th St. between W. Bruce St. and W. Pierce St.

But a feature revealed this week will make it easy to pick out from the Interstate 94 High-Rise Bridge. Artist Mauricio Ramirez will paint a six-story mural of Selena on the building’s west side.

The new mural will replace one that Ramirez painted on a one-story, warehouse at 607 S. 5th St. That building was one of a handful demolished to create the Taxco site.

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City Selling Capitol Drive Fire Station

The Department of City Development is looking to sell a former Milwaukee Fire Department station for a second time.

The city built the structure at 2509 W. Capitol Dr. in 1927 and for decades it housed Engine Company No. 36.

By 1990 the engine company had relocated to N. 27th St. The facility was sold in 2000 to Peggy Hardy. It then bounced around between multiple owners, and uses, before ending up back in city ownership in 2019 via property tax foreclosure. It was used as a childcare center and residence according to city permitting records.

A request for proposals process closed earlier this week and DCD is now evaluating two bids for the property. The property was listed for $40,000.

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Vacant 27th Street Building Will See New Life

Jeremy Shanks has big plans for the vacant building at the corner of N. 27th St. and W. Clybourn St.

Shanks is proposing to buy the one-story, 3,058-square-foot building from the city and turn it into a one-stop design center for area residents seeking contractors to improve their homes.

The business, known as Agora Direct, will connect residents with qualified contractors.

“As a contractor myself I definitely understand the adversities we go through with residents and other clients, and that’s how Agora Direct was created,” Shanks told the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee on Tuesday.

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Park East Apartments Moving Forward

The developer of a proposed downtown apartment building has taken a key step towards advancing the project.

An affiliate of Chicago-based LG Group purchased the vacant, 1.3-acre site at 1333-1339 N. Milwaukee St. for $5 million on Monday according to state real estate transfer records.

A building permit application was filed in February to develop a 197-unit apartment building at the site. Korb + Associates Architects is designing the new building.

The property was most recently assessed for $838,200. It was sold by an affiliate of Roers Companies.

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