Refrigerators, products at closed Taylorville Kroger to be inspected
The refrigerators at Taylorville's Kroger grocery store were being inspected Wednesday as the store remains shut down due to concerns over asbestos.
Mayor Bruce Barry said the Illinois Attorney General's Office had allowed store officials to go inside Wednesday and check out the refrigeration, the first time anyone from the store has been allowed inside since it was shut down July 29. Barry said store officials would be examining the state of the refrigerators and the condition of products left inside the store when it closed.
"It looks like there's a little bit of progress moving forward," Barry said.
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The store was closed and sealed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency after concerns about asbestos-related materials hanging from the ceiling as a result of construction work being done. Approximately 40,000 square feet of floor tile and mastic had been removed from the building, with their removal causing asbestos-causing materials to become friable.
IEPA accused SSI Services, an Indianapolis-based contractor licensed to remove asbestos, of having a poor containment of the particles, allowing them to get into areas accessible to the general public. The IEPA also accused the company of improperly handling the materials and for conducting an unsafe renovation of the facility.
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit on behalf of IEPA on Aug. 15, requesting that the two companies attempt to remediate the situation before reopening the store.
The long wait and concerns about transparency from IEPA have caused some in Taylorville to demand that the store be reopened as soon as possible. A rally was held Aug. 25 in support of reopening the location.
A spokesperson for Kroger said the company is doing what it can to assist in reopening the store.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Refrigerators at closed Taylorville, IL Kroger store to be inspected
