Special fund wasting away during US Med cleanup

Adrienne Packer

Friday, May 1, 1998 | 10:01 a.m.

NORTH LAS VEGAS -- A medical waste company that was shut down last month after it allegedly buried contaminated supplies on its property is costing taxpayers thousands of dollars.

The bill to excavate the waste -- which ranged from plasticware to syringes -- is creeping toward $100,000 and the cleanup effort at US EnviroMedical, also known as US Med, is still underway.

North Las Vegas hired US Med's competition, Environmental Technologies of Nevada Inc., to dig up tons of tainted dirt and medical waste and haul it to the Apex landfill.

The bill will be paid with money from the North Las Vegas general fund's contingency account, which is reserved for emergencies. The cleanup cost so far is about $85,000.

"The contingency fund is money set aside for emergencies unseen," Mark Zalaores, the city's chief deputy attorney, said Thursday. "Using it was something the city had to do to remove a problem."

Zalaores said the city hopes to recover the costs, but its chances depend on US Med's financial situation.

City Councilman William Robinson said Wednesday that the city was right in using money from the contingency account, which consisted of $1 million this fiscal year, but it must force US Med to reimburse the account.

"I have a problem spending anything on something a private company created," Robinson said. "They did it and it's their responsibility. If we as a city have to clean it up, the money has to be recouped and yesterday was too late as far as I'm concerned."

North Las Vegas Finance Director Vytas Vaitkus said the city must take care of the cleanup costs at the Walnut Street site because it was city police who demanded the contaminated soil be trucked to the landfill.

But, he said, the city will go after US Med.

"The city attorney expects to recover the money from US Med," Vaitkus said. "In the meantime, Environmental Technologies is like any other business and they want their money now."

Environmental Technologies gouged a 40-by-25-feet-wide, 15-feet-deep hole on US Med's Walnut Street property after police were told the medical waste recycling company had buried supplies on the lot.

Blood-soaked hospital garments and culture dishes wrapped in baggies were pulled up from US Med's yard during days of excavation.

The City Council revoked the company's business license April 1 after a two-hour hearing at which US Med attorney Steven Barringer argued the company was under new management.

"They initially asserted it was unjust and they were going to appeal," Vaitkus said Thursday. "But after the license was revoked, they said 'fine' and they closed their business."

Vaitkus said the city's contingency account has about $500,000 remaining. A portion of the money was used earlier this year to help fund the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority.

"This account is for what is unexpected and extraordinary and US Med is a perfect example," Vaitkus said.