CALUMET — Cleanup of the 100 Block of Fifth Street is scheduled to begin in mid-September, said Village Council Trustee Elise Matz in Wednesday release.

“The Environmental Protection Agency contacted us this morning,” said Matz, “to let us know that their plan to remove fire debris from the 100 Block of 5th Street was approved for funding, with an anticipated start date of mid-September 2021.”

Matz discussed the cleanup situation at the regular monthly Village Council meeting Tuesday evening, saying that there was a meeting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes and Environment (EGLE), at which she (Matz); Interim Village Manager, Dave Geisler; and Leah Polzien, executive director of Main Street Calumet, were present, along with Tom Tikkanen, Vice Chairman of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners.

The focus of the meeting, said Matz, was to discuss the possibility of the EPA and EGLE funding and managing the cleanup of the fire site through their Emergency Response Program.

“(It) essentially provides them a pot of money to clean up things that are a threat to human health,” Matz said.

She added that the EPA and EGLE representatives felt felt fairly certain that they would be able to receive funding for the cleanup.

“And, we could know as soon as next week,” she said, “although nothing is a done deal right now. I just want to stress that.”

Rather than next week, however, the village received word from the EPA Wed. morning, along with details of the project, which stated:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working with the Village of Calumet, Calumet Township, Houghton County, and the Michigan Department Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, or EGLE, to begin cleanup of asbestos-contaminated debris near the intersection of Fifth and Portland streets.

On May 21, a fire destroyed three buildings, including several apartments and commercial businesses. An assessment of the rubble resulting from the fire found that the debris is contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was often used in construction in the mid-20th century. Breathing high levels of asbestos fibers for a long period of time can cause scar-like tissue in the lungs and the lining surrounding the lungs.

To clean up the asbestos-contaminated debris, EPA plans to:

• Work with local government to close areas of Portland Street, Fourth Street,

and Agassiz Park to enable support facilities and truck traffic

• Remove and dispose of the asbestos-contaminated fire debris

• Conduct air monitoring while removing the debris

• Backfill the open basements at the end of the project

The cleanup will take about 60 days and will require the temporary closure of portions of Portland Street, Fourth Street, and part of the Agassiz Park parking lot

“We appreciate the work of the EPA and the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes and Environment in their efforts to secure funding for this project,” said Matz in her release. “We look forward to working with these agencies as well as Houghton County and Calumet Township to see the cleanup to completion.”