* We covered this yesterday, but lots of you might not have seen some late updates because of the timing and the very long length of the post. Mayor Brandon Johnson to NBC 5…

Johnson said “discovering toxicity [at the Brighton Park migrant tent site] wasn’t a surprise], but said “the contract that the state of Illinois went into with Gardaworld, as they continued to build out on this site, there was no indication throughout this entire process, that a standard or a different methodology was preferable by the state of Illinois.”

“There was no additional information that was provided that would have led us to believe that this particular report that has been validated to be safe by third parties, that somehow that operation will be halted,” Johnson said.

* From the mayor’s office…

After announcing last month its intention to support the city’s humanitarian migrant shelter mission, the State of Illinois entered into an agreement, leveraging its original contract with GardaWorld, to construct and operate a basecamp at a site previously identified by the City at 38th and California. Shortly after entering into its agreement, the State instructed GardaWorld to proceed with construction of the base camp simultaneous with the performance of the environmental assessment and remediation work previously contracted by the City.

The City contracted Terracon Consultants, Inc. to conduct a field investigation under a sampling plan that was developed for this specific site in accordance with an emergency response protocol under the Illinois Emergency Management Act. The investigation included soil sampling, groundwater sampling, and soil gas sampling which yielded soil analytical results, groundwater analytical results, and soil gas analytical results. Per the findings, the City conducted remediation work which included both the removal of contaminants and the introduction of new materials to eliminate safety risks for individuals who would reside in temporary residential housing.

Despite being made aware of the above assessment and remediation process, the State provided no additional guidance on its preferred methodology or assessment criteria, nor raised any concerns about its own decision to move forward with construction prior to the release of Terracon’s report.

* From the governor’s office…

IEPA standards on sampling and remediation are clear and known to the City. Those are not the standards the City chose to use. The City did not engage with IEPA or the State before releasing the report and when it did release the report, was unable to explain the lesser standards they did choose to use and how they arrived at those standards. We understand that the City selected this site and holds the lease and is therefore frustrated it cannot move forward. The State shares that frustration. But while the City might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the State is not. This site will not move forward as a shelter with State involvement.

* From Isabel…

* Sun-Times | Pritzker tells Chicago to fold its tents — governor rejects toxic migrant shelter site in Brighton Park: Citing “serious environmental concerns,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday that the state is ending development of a proposed migrant camp in Brighton Park. The decision follows the city of Chicago’s release of an environmental report Friday night that showed the location at 38th Street and California Avenue required cleanup of heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The state halted construction Sunday.

* CBS Chicago | Gov. JB Pritzker scraps Chicago’s plan for first migrant tent camp in Brighton Park over contaminated soil: “IEPA would not approve the proposed Brighton Park site for residential use, based on our regulatory standards for remediation of contaminated properties,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “The well-being of residents and workers at the site is our highest priority, and current and planned site conditions do not adequately reduce risks of human exposure to known and potential environmental conditions.”

* Greg Hinz | Brandon Johnson and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week: The nastiest flap is over a planned refugee tent base encampment the city had wanted to erect at a former industrial site at 38th and California in the Brighton Park neighborhood. The Johnson and Pritzker camps already had been jostling over that and an increasing number of other matters, but the situation exploded yesterday when Pritzker’s Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the site was still unfit for human habitation despite claims to the contrary from Johnson.

* NBC Chicago | Chicago mayor reacts after state halts Brighton Park migrant site: Johnson said “discovering toxicity [at the site] wasn’t a surprise], but said “the contract that the state of Illinois went into with Gardaworld, as they continued to build out on this site, there was no indication throughout this entire process, that a standard or a different methodology was preferable by the state of Illinois.” “There was no additional information that was provided that would have led us to believe that this particular report that has been validated to be safe by third parties, that somehow that operation will be halted,” Johnson said.

* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker won’t proceed with Brighton Park migrant camp, citing ‘serious’ environmental concerns: Underscoring the escalating tension between Springfield and City Hall, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh shot back at Johnson’s statement, saying state environmental standards “are clear and known to the city.” “Those are not the standards the city chose to use,” Abudayyeh said in a statement. “The city did not engage with IEPA or the state before releasing the report and when it did release the report, was unable to explain the lesser standards they did choose to use and how they arrived at those standards.” “While the city might be comfortable placing asylum seekers on a site where toxins are present without a full understanding of whether it is safe, the state is not,” Abudayyeh added.

* NBC Chicago | City releases statement after state halts plans for migrant site in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood: “The City’s goal has been and continues to be to move with urgency in providing shelter for new arrivals currently sleeping on the floors of Chicago Police Department district stations, airports and sidewalks. We have been planning for both the present and the future of the new arrivals mission by standing up nearly one temporary shelter a week and reducing the number of new arrivals sleeping at emergency staging areas and outdoors from nearly 4,000 to approximately 600.”

* Crain’s | Citing environmental concerns, Pritzker nixes Brighton Park migrant tent camp plan: No immediate plans were shared on where the state may pay for the construction of a tent camp at a new location. The city has identified another location for a separate tent camp, on vacant land at 115th and Halsted, but it’s unclear whethe the state will fund construction at that location.

* ABC Chicago | State will not proceed with Brighton Park camp for Chicago migrants after environmental review: Alderwoman Julia Ramirez, who represents the 12th Ward, said on Tuesday that better decisions should have been made from the very beginning. “As manufacturing-zoned area that shouldn’t have ever been considered. And so, looking forward, I think that should use be something they don’t move forward with if a place is zone for heavy manufacturing,” Ramirez said. “It is unacceptable to proceed without a comprehensive assessment of the health risks. We are pleased to see the halt of construction and the continued work towards assessing the safety of this site.”

* Block Club | State Says No Tent Camp For Migrants On Contaminated Brighton Park Site: Despite the tent plan being halted, Ramirez said she’s committed to making her ward a welcoming neighborhood for migrants. “I’m really, really happy the state intervened and was able to further assess,” she said.

* Sun-Times Editorial Board | Gov. Pritzker took the right step by ending city’s Brighton Park migrant tent plan: The Johnson administration picked the known industrial site at 38th Street and California Avenue without any thought to its environmental ramifications. Then it rushed through soil testing and started construction last week — while test findings were still pending, and telling the public as little as possible. … Slapdash and slipshod from the start, the tent camp plan had all the warning signs of developing into a hot mess of the first order. And yet Johnson and his administration pressed on.