Public Hearing: Removal of Lead-Affected Soil at Emerson

A public hearing will take place Wednesday on a project that would remove soil containing elevated levels of lead from Emerson Middle School during the summer to make way for renovations to the school.

The school is slated for several design updates to the campus, including a new gym and music classrooms, a synthetic turf athletic field, performing arts facilities, modernization in classrooms, and a redesigned staff parking lot and drop-off area.

In the process of planning the renovations, elevated levels of lead in the soil were discovered, according to a notice from the Los Angeles Unified School District. The district's Office of Environmental Health and Safety prepared a "Removal Action Workplan," detailing plans to truck away the affected soil, which is likely due to the use of lead-based paint during the school's history.

That document is the topic of Wednesday's public hearing. The plan entails removing about two truckloads-worth of the soil to a licensed disposal facility over a span of about ten days. The work will take place over the summer to minimize exposure to students and staff.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Emerson Middle School auditorium at 1650 Selby Avenue. A public comment period on the Removal Action Workplan began May 10 and ends June 9. To submit a written comment on the plan for the record, mail it to the address below.

LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Attn: Anthony Lizzi, Site Assessment Project Manager
333 South Beaudry Avenue, 28th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017