National Clothesline

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will be extending its investigation on a soil and groundwater contamination site located behind Eastmont Cleaners on Route 22 in Monroeville, PA.

The investigation initially began shortly after an on-site assessment of the location was performed by American Geo Sciences, an environmental consultant company hired by the Monzo family, which currently owns the property.

Mark Regan, the business director for the Monzo family, told the Times Express Star that the assessment was part of a standard procedure prior to selling a commercial property. After it was revealed that the site was contaminated, the company that was previously planning on buying the real estate — Walnut Capital Partners — chose not to purchase it.

Regan said in an interview with the local paper: “We were stunned as property owners when the red flags went up and obviously disappointed in the tenant.”

He also claimed that Eastmont Cleaner’s current owner, Elizabeth Yea, has refused to close down her plant though she has been asked to repeatedly.

Yea, on the other hand, states that she isn’t the cause of the contamination because she uses Safety Kleen to pick up waste containers and dispose of them. According to her paperwork, the company performed services for her as currently as Oct. 11 of this year.

She was quoted to say: “I am being discriminated against because I am a woman and Oriental. I have done nothing illegal and didn’t dump anything.”

Looking back at the history of the building where Eastmont Cleaners is located, drycleaning establishments have been on the premises for over 30 years.

The site was originally known as Ruby’s Cleaners before it was called Albright Cleaners when it was run by the Monzo family. Yea has operated the location as Eastmont Cleaners since 1999.

According to John Matviya, environmental cleanup program manager for DEP, an inspector has investigated Eastmont and has yet to find any problems or illegal activities on their part. Additionally, a geologist working on the site hasn’t found any evidence on the site to suggest the contamination is from recent activity.

Under the supervision of DEP, American Geo Services will continue its testing of the property to determine the extent of the damage. If the contaminated groundwater is found to be used as drinking water or if it runs close to basements in the vicinity, the amount of ecological concern will likely increase significantly.

To date, the Monzo family has complied with the investigation, according to Matviya. They have already spent about $50,000 on testing and still expect to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for clean-up in the future.

Anthony Dolan, a representative of Walnut Capital Partners, did indicate that the company is still interesting in purchasing the property if the contamination issues for the property are resolved.

Gene Moorefield, owner and operator of Moorefield’s Quality Drycleaners in Altavista, VA, was selected to serve a one-year term as president of the MidAtlantic Association of Cleaners at the association’s recent annual meeting.

Moorefield most recently served as vice president of the association and has also been treasurer, a director, and committee member. He has earned both the Certified Environmental Drycleaner and the Certified Professional Drycleaner designations.

The board of directors also selected Buddy Gritz as vice president and Charles Smith as treasurer, both for one-year terms.

Gritz completed his term as director for the Potomac District of Virginia prior to becoming vice president. He owns and operates Presto Valet in Alexandria, VA, and is a part of the IFI Garment Analysis Peer Review Group.

Smith owns and operates Village Square Cleaners in Herndon, VA. He most recently served on the MidAtlantic membership committee.

Also at the meeting, Charles Smith and Bennett Upston were elected to serve two-year terms as directors representing the Virginia Potomac District and the Maryland Harbor District, respectively.