Company, Pritzker release statements on mine collapse at Alton soccer field
The governor of Illinois and the St. Louis-based company that owns the mine which collapsed beneath an Alton soccer park Wednesday morning have released a statements about the incident.
Surveillance video at Gordon Moore Park showed the moment the ground caved in, swallowing a light poll and leaving behind a 100-foot circular crater that’s about 50 feet deep at the center of the complex. Tattered swaths of the artificial grass that covered the fields were draped around the edges of the hole.
New Frontier Materials, which mines limestone for the manufacture of asphalt and other building materials, issued the following statement late Wednesday:
“The New Frontier Materials underground mine in Alton, IL today experienced a surface subsidence and opened a sink hole at Gordon Moore City Park. The impacted area has been secured and will remain off limits for the foreseeable future while inspectors and experts examine the mine and conduct repairs. No one was injured in the incident, which has been reported to officials at the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) in accordance with applicable regulations. Safety is our top priority. We will work with the city to remediate this issue as quickly and safely as possible to ensure minimal impact on the community.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker called on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Line Safety and Health Administration to investigate the cause of the collapse and address steps to mitigate future risk.
“The residents of Madison County deserve a thorough and well-communicated investigation into this incident to hasten their return to normalcy,” Pritzker said in a statement. “I trust that the (Department of Labor) will act efficiently in exploring the role of previous mining operations in creating this incident and in finding solutions to ensure community safety.”
The spectacular video of the collapse has made national news, including NBC’s Today Show.
There were no injuries, but the park remains closed, leaving scheduled baseball and softball games postponed. Spencer T. Olin Golf Course, also has been temporarily closed as the cause of the mine collapse is investigated.
Michael Haynes said Wednesday he didn’t know when the park would reopen.
