Sauro’s Waste Dump-erama
According to local lore, Sauro’s Cleanerama was once the dry cleaner of choice among world-famous T-Dome performers whose glittery body suits needed a good laundering. Even now, a handful of years since the business and the building were obliterated, the Cleanerama is still number one. At least, that is, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.
Six months ago this toxic pit, situated at Pacific Ave and S. 14th, was added to Ecology’s Hazardous Sites List, with a ranking of 1 on a 1-5 scale. So not only does the state have its eye on this mostly vacant plot of exemplary urban grit, but it also wants it cleaned up, pronto.
According to the Hazardous Sites List, a 1 ranking represents the highest level of risk. That doesn’t necessarily mean a site is contaminated with the most hazardous chemicals known to man (though it may be), but that there is a high risk of human exposure, and so cleanup needs to happen ASAP. In the most recent Hazardous Sites List, published yesterday, the Cleanerama site is listed as “awaiting remedial action,” which means that nothing beyond the state’s hazardous assessment has occurred yet.
The waste drums on the perimeter of the property are supposedly a result of the assessment. Prominently and reassuringly labeled “non-hazardous waste” — and surrounded by pretty purple wildflowers, to boot — these drums, according to the Trib, contain soil from the site. That means they probably contain dry-cleaning chemicals, too, and quite possibly some of Prince’s or Janet Jackson’s DNA.
While there is undoubtedly more hype surrounding this property now that it’s a fenced-off brownfield, it’s hard to imagine it could be any more hazardous now than it was during the nearly 40 years Sauro’s was in business. One particularly notable dry-cleaning chemical, perchloroethylene (commonly called perc), is a nerve toxin and probable human carcinogen. Studies have shown that dry-cleaning workers, as well as tenants of buildings situated near dry-cleaning facilities, are exposed to unholy amounts of the stuff. Sure, the Cleanerama site now hosts 39 years’ worth of dumped waste, but at least levels of airborne perc should now be minimal to nonexistent.
In any case, once cleaned up, the Cleanerama pit will undoubtedly be a coveted piece of real estate. Unfortunately for the name of progress, development, downtown revitalization, and coveted pieces of real estate, however, it’s probably much cheaper for the owner to keep paying the property tax and doing nothing than it is to get in there and decontaminate the land.
On the bright side, if we eliminated all such patches of urban blight, Tacoma might very well be stripped of its ultra-cool Grit City moniker. What, after all, could be grittier than having a toxic waste dump right in our very own downtown?
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To see which other Tacoma locations made the Hazardous Sites List, click here and head for page 25.
I heard the city was going to buy it, clean it up, and sell it to Haub so he can build a new home for Russell and Davita.
I, too, heard a rumor the city was going to shell out for it. You’d think Tacoma would be getting pretty damn good at cleaning up brownfields, wouldn’t you?
This block (and Tollefson Plaza) are the two major impediments to connecting the financial district and the university area along Pacific Avenue. For a very long time, there was little connecting the two neighborhoods. Slowly but surely, things have improved and are improving. We will soon have a renovated Park Plaxa south and an occupied Luzon Building. The block between 13th and 15th definitely needs more pedestrian activity. Much of the land is currently owned by Mr. Haub, so we hope that he will one day replace the parking lots with some tall buildings. But the old Cleanarama site will be a thorn in Tacoma’s side unless someone has the courage to get it cleaned up. If the city does it, great. It will be an investment in a better Tacoma.