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WILKES-BARRE — Under a stipulation agreed to Monday by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Paselo Logistics LLC, Paselo will have 10 days to begin removing contaminated waste and materials from the former Huber Breaker site in Ashley.

The stipulation was entered at a compliance hearing before Luzerne County Judge Fred A. Pierantoni III. William Vinsko, solicitor for Ashley Borough Council, said the cleaning of the one-time coal breaker site has to begin within 10 days and certain deadlines have to be met as part of the stipulation.

The stipulation, expected to be filed in Luzerne County Court sometime Monday afternoon or Tuesday, was not immediately available for review.

“Ashley Borough was interested in this obviously for the residents and for the community,” he said. Vinsko was joined by council members Jerry Maldonado, Donna Schappert and Joe McGlynn.

Built in 1939, the Huber Breaker was operated by Blue Coal Corporation, a predecessor to Glen Alden Coal Co., and produced 7,000 tons of coal. The final product was dyed with a blue dye and sold as “blue coal.”

The breaker closed in 1976.

Paselo, of Philadelphia, and Reivia Ashley LLC, of Wyckoff, New Jersey, bought the property in October 2013 for $750,725 from No. 1 Contracting Corporation.

After the demolition breaker’s demolition in 2014, the DEP checked the site and found asbestos and other garbage sitting on the property. A 45-day timeline, ending in April 2015, was given to Paselo Logistics LLC to dispose of contaminated soil, waste and other debris.

Maldonado was pleased with the stipulation.

“It’s been long coming,” he said. “We’ve been trying to clean it up, the council has been at this for quite a long time.”

Tensions over the former Huber Breaker site dominated a recent borough council meeting in February.

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By Travis Kellar

[email protected]

Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews