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Assessments being re-examined on Long Lane

1/6/2017

By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer

The Property Valuation Administrator’s Office plans to reexamine assessments on properties along Long Lane in wake of the discovery of arsenic contamination there.

Montgomery County PVA Floyd Arnold told the Advocate that he is compiling documentation that will be used to reassess about 20 or so properties once the ongoing cleanup is complete.

An assessment is supposed to reflect the prospective sale price for tax purposes.

“I think they definitely need an adjustment to what they are now,” Arnold said.

Some Long Lane residents say they view the property there as essentially worthless after the discovery of arsenic in the soil and subsequent cleanup.

In August, tests revealed high levels of arsenic in soil along Long Lane after an employee of the Dept. of Environmental Protection went there to get measurements while following up on old, potentially toxic disposal sites.

The next month the state announced it would be conducting a cleanup and asked residents to evacuate with reimbursements for their expenses.
The initial deadline to complete the project was Dec. 24, but state officials were granted a 15-day extension.

Gov. Matt Bevin recently declared a state of emergency to allow for additional funding and resources to aid in the cleanup.
Tests conducted by state and local health officials revealed elevated levels of arsenic among many of the Long Lane residents. Follow-up tests are expected.

Southern Wood Treatment Co. had once operated a wood treatment plant on Long Lane. Residents claim the company buried some of its materials there when it closed several years ago.

The company and the estates of the former ownership are the subjects of a lawsuit filed by some residents.