With just about every resident gone, schools closed and city government dismantled, federal officials have begun demolishing the town of Picher, Okla., officals said Friday, Jan. 28.
The federal government has ordered the demolition because of years of lead contamination.
However, there is one business owner standing in the way of some of the wrecking balls.
Gary Linderman, owner of Old Miner’s Pharmacy, said he has an obligation to the people who are left, even though there are only a small number of customers still come to his store.
"It's not time for me to leave yet," Linderman said."We are all creatures of habit and closing might throw (the people) off."
Linderman said some customers still come in to buy snacks, over-the-counter medications and beverages.
The federal government offered to buy Linderman’s business, but he refused several offers. Since the government declared Picher, located in the northeast corner of the state, a hazardous waste site in 1981, it is has successfully bought-out all of the town's 900 homes and commercial properties.
Beginning Monday, Jan. 24, crews tore down a thrift store, apartment complex, restaurant and a building used as a funeral home.
Officials said three historic building will remain for now. A former museum, auction house and church will still stand near Linderman’s property, although the pharmacy will be the only building in use.
Between 1917 and 1947, Picher was a lead- and zinc-mining hotbed. The town remained economically vibrant until the late 1960s. Today, it is part of the Tar Creek Superfund site.
Once a town of more than 14,000, Picher saw steady population declines as mining operations ceased. As of Novemeber 2010, only six occupied homes remained.
Much of the area is littered with mining sinkholes, which have caused significant dangers over the years.
The town was ordered to be closed in 2006. Citizens have been relocated to nearby communities.
http://www.examiner.com/cultural-oddities-in-national/government-begins-demolishing-oklahoma-town-one-resident-refuses-to-leave
0 comments:
Post a Comment