The Environmental Protection Agency says they will not investigate further a citizen complaint filed, alleging that the soil remains contaminated at the future site of a bowling alley and outdoor aquatic center in Sedalia.

At last week’s Sedalia city council meeting, city officials touted an e-mail received Aug. 15 from a representative with the EPA’s Region Seven office in Lenexa, Ks. City administrator Matthew Wirt says the e-mail followed two days of conversations with EPA.

In e-mails obtained by KMMO News, an EPA specialist requested documentation from the city Aug. 13 and acknowledged receipt the following afternoon, saying that the agency would provide the city a response in a week. That response arrived the morning of Aug. 15, which began, “I don’t think we need a few days to make a determination” and said that Sedalia completed, “a significant amount of due diligence work” to address environmental concerns at the former Sutherlands location and one-time maintenance yard for the MKT Railroad. The specialist concluded that EPA, “sees no reason to further inject ourselves into this situation.” Wirt says that the city will stick to its plan of action in coordination with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Sedalia Parks and Recreation is presently seeking bids for construction of the bowling alley, while construction of the new aquatic center has been delayed until at least 2028. A new McDonald’s is under construction adjacent to the property along Broadway.