Demolition work began Wednesday on Smith Foundry, shocking residents of Minneapolis’ East Phillips neighborhood who say they weren’t informed that the building, which closed last summer following federal pollution violations, would be torn down and are concerned about pollution risks.
Smith Foundry closed in August after reaching a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Federal regulators accused the century-old foundry of violating the Clean Air Act over a five-year period from 2018 to 2023, which put public health and the environment at risk. The business was fined $80,000 and opted to close the site instead of pursuing a new use for the building.
But residents were caught off guard by the demolition and feel blindsided that the city did not communicate with neighbors beforehand, according to Luke Gannon, program manager at the East Phillips Improvement Coalition, the neighborhood’s nonprofit organization…