DEVELOPMENT Building on landfill takes time

Care must be taken to prevent methane case from causing an explosion.
GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) -- Getting Ohio's first major retail development on a landfill started takes time because developers must make sure the buildings don't sink or explode because of combustible gas.
The slow process of complying with government regulations -- each step must be approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency -- has caused work delays that increase costs and frustrate project managers.
"They're what-if-ing it to death," said Ed McCabe, an engineering contractor.
People have used former dumps for pole barns, jogging paths and a golf course, but never retail buildings, said EPA manager Kurt Princic.
"There are a lot of questions," he said. "We've been looking at this very closely to prevent any catastrophic events from happening."
Princic said the agency's biggest concern is seeping methane gas, a byproduct of decaying garbage. Methane can explode if it is trapped.
McGill plans to vent the buildings with pipes and exhaust systems and install methane sensors.
Princic said he believed the amount of methane generated had reached its peak and will greatly diminish over time.
McCabe, an environmental consultant on the job, said he has found no dangerous methane readings.
The 100-acre site overlooking the Cuyahoga Valley that is part of two massive abandoned garbage dumps soon will have an asphalt parking lot and a dozen stores, including Wal-Mart, Circuit City and Giant Eagle.
Grading is nearly done, and workers have begun covering it with a two-foot layer of clay that will act as a methane barrier.
"It must be exactly two feet, not 1.98," said senior project manager Alan Bellis, talking about EPA rules.
Here's the procedure
Bellis said the job requires hauling, spreading and tamping more than 1 million cubic yards of clay.
On top of the clay will be a gravel bed that will carry a pipe system to catch methane and vent it to open air above the roof.
More than 2,500 steel pilings will be pounded through the garbage base to bedrock to support the buildings.
But before that can be done, the EPA must approve the foundation plans. Developers said they're anxiously awaiting the approval.
"We're stuck," said Todd Sciano, a project engineer. "We can't start pounding piles."
Developers want to begin construction in December and open the stores by next fall.
One of the biggest advocates of the site is Garfield Heights Mayor Tom Longo, who is looking at $2.9 million in income and property tax revenue for his city and school district. Longo lobbied EPA officials in Columbus recently but declined to discuss his conversations.
There are other plans for an office park, a hotel and restaurants for the area, Longo said.
"This is a major economic engine," he said. "It opens up $1 billion in new construction. The impact is staggering."