Complaint Investigation Report Narrative

Complaint # 0017-2024 Narrative:

Air Quality Complaint

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CountyHamilton
What is your complaint about?Particulate
Date & Time You Noticed the Problem1/13/2024 12:00 PM
Detailed Summary of ProblemHuge waste pile near residential area & elementary school.
Name of Individual or Company Causing the Problem (if Known)MeinCo, LLC, 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH
45249
Address or Area Where the Problem Is OccurringMeinCo, LLC, 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249
At entrance to Village Green Trailer Park
If you have photos, upload them here Village Green Threatened by Waste Pile.jpg

___________
1/17/2024
Called complainant and left a voicemail.

1/18/2024
Ward and Roller made a site visit around 1:15pm to the facility. Please refer to the G-drive under complaints with
attachments for photos of dust observed. The facility was observed for 10 minutes offsite. Ward spoke with
Jonathon Miller (plant manager) regarding production and dust mitigation efforts. Miller informed ECS that they
sprayed water about 1-1.5 weeks ago and have been unable to spray since with the cold. Production has slowed
down and they are planning on shipping out some of their pile next week. Miller was informed that minimizing drop
heights could also decrease dust emissions. He was also updated about the permitting process. He lastly
expressed to give complainants his contact information to try to work together as a community.

1/19/2024
Called complainant to inform her of the permitting process and the results of the investigation. She expressed
additional concerns and was also referred to Public Health, Zoning, and SWDO for additional environmental
concerns and encouraged to file additional air complaints if needed going forward. Complainant noted an open
burn 2 years ago from the facility as well.

1/26/2024
On 1/16/2024, the Hamilton County Public Health Department issued a Notice of Violation of Aztec/MeinCo being a
public health nuisance.

The air permit is currently under review by permitting area supervisor, it has been decided that the permit will go
for public comment before being re-revised and issued.
 Complaint Investigation Report Narrative
Detailed Summary of Problem: Dust from very large pile of construction demolition waste was drifting over Village
Green mobile home community, 7501 School Road, Sharonville. On other days when it rains, the runoff goes into
the community and has a foul smell. I have volunteered in this community for many years, and ever since MeinCo
purchased the property about a year ago, polluted dust and runoff have been frequent issues. Several homes back
up to the debris pile, and school kids walk by it every day. There are about 200 children living in the Village Green
community, 7501 School Road.

This complaint was also received by Ohio EPA on 1/9:

From: EPA.Complaint_Tracker@epa.ohio.gov <EPA.Complaint_Tracker@epa.ohio.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 10:12 AM
To: EPA Complaints_SWDO <swdo.complaints@epa.ohio.gov>
Subject: Environmental Complaint Received MeinCo LLC, 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249.

Source:
MeinCo LLC, 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249.

Address: 7601 School Rd

City ,State Zip Code: Cincinnati, Ohio 45249

Complaint Details: MeinCo LLC, a Cincinnati recycle company, has amassed a very large pile of old construction
material from demolition activity, and does not have adequate means of preventing dust from drifting over the
neighboring Village Green mobile home park and Stewart Elementary school. There is a concern that some of the
scrap material contains asbestos. When it rains, the runoff has a bad odor runs into the mobile home community,
where about 200 children live.

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Jan 10, 2024
11:52am
Spoke with He mentioned that the pile and dust concerns began over the summer, but he hadn't
thought to submit a complaint about the issue until now. The main driving force for the complaint is the fact that the
pile is growing so tall. mentioned that the facility is using a water hose on the Village Green mobile home
community property to spray onto the pile periodically (facility pays the community for water) to help with dust
control, but it is not doing much. does not believe that the facility has their own sufficient water source. He
believes that the previous operator of the site covered the debris with astro-turf, and that seemed to help.
However, the debris pile was never this large under the previous operator. I updated on our recent visits to
the site, and also informed him that the Health Department is conducting visits as well since they regulate the solid
waste side of things. I let know that a permit is underway in our office for the site. asked to be notified
via email when the public comment period starts for the permit. I added a note to my calendar as a reminder to
send him the notification via email.

C. Wagner

1/30/24
Copy of draft permit sent to the complainant.
 Complaint Investigation Report Narrative
Complaint #0009-2024 Narrative:

Received from HCPH on 1/9/2024 t 7:41 AM:

From: Hamilton County Public Health <website@hamiltoncountyhealth.org>

Sent: Monday, January 8, 2024 3:31 PM
To: Kesterman, Greg <greg.kesterman@hamilton-co.org>; Samet, Mike <mike.samet@hamilton-co.org>; Sweet,
Erinn <erinn.sweet@hamilton-co.org>; Davidson, Craig <craig.davidson@hamilton-co.org>
Subject: New submission from Complaints

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Type of Complaint
Open Dump
Date of Incident/Issue
01/08/2024
Business of Facility Name (if applicable)
Mein Co
Address Where Issue Is/Occured
7601 School Road, Sycamore township
City
Sycamore Township
ZIP Code
45231
Description of Complaint or Issue
Waste Dump actively processing waste right next door to residential mobile homes and an elementary school.
Visible clouds of dust from dumping and shredding of waste and debris with heavy equipment were observed
floating across the trailer park next door.
The trash pile was well over the height of the homes, at least 30 feet high. The dump area is within 50 feet of
homes.

____________________________________________________________________________

See response on complaint 0010-24

 Complaint Investigation Report Narrative
Air Quality Complaint

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CountyHamilton
What is your complaint about?Asbestos
Date & Time You Noticed the Problem8/1/2023 7:45 AM
Detailed Summary of ProblemThere is a construction/demolition site in front of Village Green and next to Stewart
Elementary.
There seems to have been a change in ownership and operations. 153 students ride the bus to and from school
every day and the bus stop is right next to this demolition pile.
There have been several reports of children being sick and now a long-time resident of the area was diagnosed
with Leukemia. The hospital mentioned environmental concerns.

I wanted to check in to see if this facility is being regulated.

It is located at 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249

At one point, the waste materials were covered with turf, but now the pile is getting higher and it is not covered.
There is water run-off going into the residential yards with oil, debris, and a terrible smell.
The waste or "recycled" materials are blowing off the top of the pile and covering the driveway, road, cars, and
mobile homes. This is also a bus stop for the students that live in Village Green and the kids are exposed to this
several times a day. It looks like some of the building waste has asbestos. They have put up a fence, which is
being compromised with the weight and shift of the pile. There are also several heavy machines that they use and
keep on top of that pile and if it were to shift, it could fall onto the houses next to it. This is a pretty scary situation
and it seems to be growing each day. They have now started hooking up to a fire hydrant located in Village Green
next to the playground and are spraying the pile with water to help eliminate the dust.

When we complained about it to the owner they said they didn't care and offered free carwash coupons for the
cars. Name of Individual or Company Causing the Problem (if Known)MeinCo, LLC
Address or Area Where the Problem Is Occurring7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249

At 12:50pm on 1/5/23 I arrived at 7601 School Road in response to a complaint concerning a construction debris
pile that may contain asbestos. Upon my arrival, I met with Jonathan Miller, Vice President of Operations at the
facility and explained to him the complaint we received. Mr. Miller stated that each load that comes in is inspected
and any loads that they observe to contain suspect asbestos containing materials (ACM) is shipped off to Aztecs
asbestos removal operations. I then walked around the debris piles and did not observe any suspect ACM in the
pile. No visible dust was observed coming from the debris pile as well. No violations documented, case closed.

Ken Wilkins
 Complaint Investigation Report Narrative
Complaint # 0006-2024 Narrative:

Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 3:29 PM

What is your complaint about?Asbestos

Date & Time You Noticed the Problem1/4/2024 3:30 PM
Detailed Summary of ProblemThere is a construction/demolition site in front of Village Green and next to Stewart
Elementary.
There seems to have been a change in ownership and operations.
There have been several reports of children being sick and now a long-time resident of the area was diagnosed
with Leukemia. The hospital mentioned environmental concerns.
I wanted to check in to see if this facility is being regulated.
It is located at 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249
At one point, the waste materials were covered with turf, but now the pile is getting higher and it is not covered.
There is water run-off going into the residential yards with oil, debris, and a terrible smell.
The waste or "recycled" materials are blowing off the top of the pile and covering the driveway, road, cars, and
mobile homes.
This is also a bus stop for the students that live in Village Green and the kids are exposed to this several times a
day. Is there someone who can come out and test this facility to make sure they are following the correct
guidelines? I'm very concerned with the air and water quality. Mike, my husband, also said it looks like some of the
building waste has asbestos. They have put up a fence, which is being compromised with the weight and shift of
the pile. There are also several heavy machines that they use and keep on top of that pile and if it were to shift, it
could fall onto the houses next to it. This is a pretty scary situation and it seems to be growing each day.
They have now started hooking up to a fire hydrant located in Village Green next to the playground and are
spraying the pile with water to help eliminate the dust. When we complained about it to the owner the said they
didn't care and offered free carwash coupons for the cars.

Additional similar complaints provided:

Please see the below complaint and images:

Source: The company name is MeinCo, LLC, 7601 School Road, formerly Demolition, Inc.
Address: 7601 School Rd Cincinnati, Ohio 45249

Complaint:
There is a construction/demolition site in front of Village Green and next to Stewart Elementary.
There seems to have been a change in ownership and operations.
There have been several reports of children being sick and now a long-time resident of the area was diagnosed
with Leukemia. The hospital mentioned environmental concerns.

I wanted to check in to see if this facility is being regulated.It is located at 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH
45249. At one point, the waste materials were covered with turf, but now the pile is getting higher and it is not
covered. There is water run-off going into the residential yards with oil, debris, and a terrible smell.
The waste or "recycled" materials are blowing off the top of the pile and covering the driveway, road, cars, and
mobile homes. This is also a bus stop for the students that live in Village Green and the kids are exposed to this
several times a day.Is there someone who can come out and test this facility to make sure they are following the
correct guidelines? I'm very concerned with the air and water quality.

my husband, also said it looks like some of the building waste has asbestos. They have put up a fence,
which is being compromised with the weight and shift of the pile. There are also several heavy machines that they
use and keep on top of that pile and if it were to shift, it could fall onto the houses next to it. This is a pretty scary
situation and it seems to be growing each day.They have now started hooking up to a fire hydrant located in Village
Green next to the playground and are spraying the pile with water to help eliminate the dust.
When we complained about it to the owner they said they didn't care and offered free carwash coupons for the
cars.I can take photos today and submit them, I have attached a few that I took when it first started.

Please see the below complaint:

Investigation Status: Not Yet Assigned
 Complaint Investigation Report Narrative
Complaint:
huge dump pile

There is a construction/demolition site in front of Village Green and next to Stewart Elementary. 153 students live in
Village Green and ride the bus to and from school every day.I wanted to check in to see if this facility is being
regulated. It is located at 7601 School Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249. There seems to have been a change in
ownership and operations.There have been several reports of children being sick and now a long-time resident of the
area was diagnosed with Leukemia. The hospital mentioned environmental concerns.

At one point, the waste materials were covered with turf, but now the pile is getting higher and it is not covered.
There is water run-off going into the residential yards with oil, debris, and a terrible smell.
The waste or "recycled" materials are blowing off the top of the pile and covering the driveway, road, cars, and
mobile homes.

This is also a bus stop for the students that live in Village Green and the kids are exposed to this several times a
day. Is there someone who can come out and test this facility to make sure they are following the correct guidelines?
I'm very concerned with the air and water quality.

It looks like some of the building waste has asbestos. They have put up a fence, which is being compromised with
the weight and shift of the pile. There are also several heavy machines that they use and keep on top of that pile and
if it were to shift, it could fall onto the houses next to it.

The pile is growing larger every day.

They have now started hooking up to a fire hydrant located in Village Green next to the playground and are spraying
the pile with water to help eliminate the dust.

When we complained about it to the owner they said they didn't care and offered free carwash coupons for the cars.

At 12:50pm on January 5, 2024 I arrived at the Aztec/Mein Company located at 7601 School Road in response to a
complaint concerning possible improper disposal of suspect asbestos containing materials (ACM). Upon my arrival I
met with Jonathan Miller, Vice President of Operations for Aztec/Mein Company and explained the complaint we
received. Mr. Miller stated that they only accept construction debris from who do the proper testing. Each load is
also inspected when it arrives at the facility before it is dumped. I then me with Mike Moss, a certified Ohio
Contractor Supervisor at the facility who also explained that he inspects the waste load and anything materials he
finds to be suspect is set off to the side and tested to make sure no ACM is precent. Per my request, I inspected
their waste on site and I did no observe any suspect ACM at the site.
Ken Wilkins
 Complaint Investigation Report Narrative
#0254-23

See file Complaint Provided Photos in attachment folder. G:\P&E\Compliance &

Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0254-23\Photos

8/15/2023 10:30 a.m.

Chuck DeJonckheere with Hamilton County Waste Management held a Teams Meeting with SWOAQA to inform
us of a complaint he has received from Sycamore Township. The township is having ongoing issues with the
mentioned facility regarding dust. Chuck provided photos that were sent to him by the township. Several of these
photos were also provided by the complainant of 0253-23 who is a resident of the nearby neighborhood. The
photos provided by Chuck are located in the Complaint Provided Photos file in the attachment folder.
G:\P&E\Compliance & Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0254-23\Photos\8-15-2023
Initial Complaint Photos

8/15/2023 4:08 p.m.

I emailed and with the township to inform them that we had received the complaint
and we would be investigating.

8/31/2023 2:35 p.m.

James Nymberg and I arrived at the Aztec transfer station. Upon arrival, the site was generating a large amount of
dust from operations. Photos were taken of the site. See the file Site Visit Photo Log in the attachment folder
G:\P&E\Compliance & Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0254-23\Photos\8-31-2023
Site Visit Photos. James recorded VE's from the corner of the first side street inside the neighborhood located to
the south of the facility (see file Method 9 Form_08312023 in the attachment folder G:\P&E\Compliance &
Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0254-23). VE's were recorded beginning at 2:40 p.m.
At 2:42, the facility stopped operations and began applying water. The water was being sourced from a fire hydrant
that is on the neighborhood side of the fence, just south of the facility. Operations did not resume by 3:05 p.m. I
called Kerri Castlen to notify her that operations had stopped before we had entered the facility and was instructed
that entry was not needed during this visit. We then left the area.

9/1/2023 2:41 p.m.

with Sycamore Township emailed additional photos of dust leaving the site. See the file Township Provided
Photos in the attachment folder. G:\P&E\Compliance & Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with
Attachments\2023\0254-23\Photos\9-5-2023 Township Photos

9/5/2023 9:27 a.m.

I had a call with Jonathan at Aztec and discussed permitting. The facility has a de minimis determination from June
2023 for their roadways, but is going to look into applying for a PTIO for the roadways and material handling.

11/02/2023 8:35 a.m.

Site visit conducted by Sarah Grace Ward, James Nymberg, and Josh McCord. No VE's were taken due to the
position of the sun, but no visible emissions were noted while on site. No noticeable asbestos containing materials
were noted. The facility PTIO application was received on 11/2/2023 for roadways and material handling.

11/13/23 11:33 a.m.

Emailed township. See attachment folder for copy of emails, G:\P&E\Compliance &
Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0254-23, the file Emails with Township.pdf.

See complaint folder for additional information. G:\P&E\Compliance & Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with
Attachments\2023\0254-23
 Complaint Investigation Report Narrative
G:\P&E\Compliance & Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0206-23.Additionally, see the
attachment folder for complaint 0254-23 for additional information.

7/6/2023 2:00 p.m.

Ken Wilkins and I arrived at the Village Green neighborhood to observe the facility before entering. Method 9 was
performed by Ken Wilkins of truck loading operations. 6 minutes of readings occurred before the operations ended.
No reading above 5% were noted. We then met Rob Rossi with Waste Management and entered the site. Our
contact was Jonathan Miller, VP of Operations. During the site visit, no asbestos material was noted by Ken Wilkins.
The roadways were dry, and dust was visibly coming off the pile while loading occurred. The only form of water used
on site comes from a sprinkler connected to a garden hose. Jonathan stated that once WM issues their permit, he is
having a hydrant installed. He also stated that the neighborhood behind them won't allow him to use their hydrants
and the township isn't allowing him to put up larger dust screens. I mentioned water trucks, but he said he can't find
anyone with availability after the recent drought period. There were no additional issues noted. I encouraged
Jonathan to continue watering as much as possible. The group left around 2:20 pm.

7/12/2023 10:30 a.m.

Kelsey Pearman and I traveled to the location to view the facility operate a second time. VE's were not taken
because of the son position, but some dust was observed leaving the facility while loading operations took place.

Email send to complainant:

Hello! My name is Kerri Castlen and I am the compliance manager with the Southwest Ohio Air Quality
Agency. I am writing to you today to follow up on Aztec Container Services. The Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency
made field visits to the facility on 7/6/23 and 7/12/23. The Agency also sent an email to the facility on 7/24/23
requesting cooperation in mitigating this issue by employing appropriate control measures for dust control. The
Agency would like to check in to see if the situation has improved.
If you are still experiencing fugitive dust concerns, please feel free to call the Agency at 513-946-7777 or use our
website to register a complaint at https://www.southwestohioair.org/FormCenter/Air-Quality-6/File-a-Complaint-48.
Thank you for communicating your concerns with our Agency. Sincerely, Kerri Castlen

8/31/2023 2:35 p.m.

James Nymberg and I arrived at the Aztec transfer station. Upon arrival, the site was generating a large amount of
dust from operations. Photos were taken of the site. See the file Site Visit Photo Log in the attachment folder
G:\P&E\Compliance & Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0254-23\Photos\8-31-2023 Site
Visit Photos. James recorded VE's from the corner of the first side street inside the neighborhood located to the
south of the facility (see file Method 9 Form_08312023 in the attachment folder G:\P&E\Compliance &
Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with Attachments\2023\0254-23). VE's were recorded beginning at 2:40 p.m. At
2:42, the facility stopped operations and began applying water. The water was being sourced from a fire hydrant that
is on the neighborhood side of the fence, just south of the facility. Operations did not resume by 3:05 p.m. I called
Kerri Castlen to notify her that operations had stopped before we had entered the facility and was instructed that
entry was not needed during this visit. We then left the area.

9/1/2023 2:41 p.m.

with Sycamore Township emailed additional photos of dust leaving the site. See the file Township Provided
Photos in the attachment folder. G:\P&E\Compliance & Enforcement\Complaints\Complaints with
Attachments\2023\0254-23\Photos\9-5-2023 Township Photos

9/5/2023 9:27 a.m.

I had a call with Jonathan at Aztec and discussed permitting. The facility has a de minimis determination from June
2023 for their roadways, but is going to look into applying for a PTIO for the roadways and material handling.

11/02/2023 8:35 a.m.

Site visit conducted by Sarah Grace Ward, James Nymberg, and Josh McCord. No VE's were taken due to the
position of the sun, but no visible emissions were noted while on site. No noticeable asbestos containing materials