Feds seek money, cleanup from Winslow

WINSLOW — If you’re standing on the corner in Winslow, Ariz., pick the one furthest from the site of that legendary Eagles tune.

That’s because a recent lawsuit claims city officials and the owner of a dingy apartment complex failed to report or contain asbestos after the building was torn down.

Attorneys for the Justice Department say Winslow officials and apartment owner William R. Christie Sr. did not notify them of the project while burning chunks of asbestos-laden walls without watering them down.

They believe it resulted into a massive release of asbestos into the air.

The case began in early 2002, when the city declared Christie’s Apache Apartment complex uninhabitable. Officials said the nine-unit building was a “public nuisance” that needed to be torn down.

Demolition lasted from June through September 2002. Authorities are seeking thousands of dollars in fines as punishment.