Harding Carpets clean-up and restoration enters Phase 2

01/30/2004

Attention Business Editors:

Harding Carpets clean-up and restoration enters Phase 2
First priority was to remove contaminated materials, reduce fire hazard and improve safety for area residents. Soil sampling results indicate no off-site contamination of soil or ground water

Brantford, ON, January 30, 2004 – King & Benton Developments today announced the beginning of Phase 2 of its clean-up and restoration of the Harding Carpet site in Brantford. Environmental assessments conducted to date have indicated that there is no off-site contamination of soil or ground water. Other progress to date includes removal of 145 truckloads of refuse and 4,500 tires, 1,000 drums of chemicals gathered, assessed and in the process of being removed and PCB ballasts and Asbestos-containing materials be prepared for destruction.

“We are pleased to report we’re ahead of schedule and confident we’ll stay on schedule for completion in late spring of 2004,” says King and Benton President Steve Charest. “Our first priority was to get the environmental assessment underway and remove debris and contaminated materials to reduce the fire hazard on the site and improve the safety for Holmedale-area residents. As we move into Phase 2 of the project we’ll be assessing and safely removing the remaining contaminated materials.”

King and Benton has been cleaning-up the site and conducting environmental assessments since November, 2003. King & Benton engaged the services of Environment Management Group (EMG) to remove large debris and identify contaminated material for safe removal and disposal.

In December, 2003 EMG conducted preliminary soil sampling to update existing environmental assessments and gather new information about the condition of the Harding Carpets site. The soil samples were collected from bore holes drilled at locations throughout the site.

“King and Benton is committed to keeping the local community and the City and the Ministry of Environment informed of our progress on this project,” says Charest. “We have been keeping residents in the immediate area updated through our Community Advisory Committee and have been reporting directly to the Mayor’s office, the MOE and the Brownfield Committee. We intend to ensure we are a good neighbour to the Holmedale area and a responsible corporate citizen here in Brantford.”

King and Benton Developments is a Canadian-owned, Toronto-based real estate company dedicated to making the Brant County area the next centre of business in Southern Ontario. With more than 1 million square feet of industrial real estate and 275 hectares (709 acres) of serviced and unserviced industrial land in the Brantford area, King and Benton offers outstanding development opportunities to potential partners.

Harding Carpet Redevelopment -- Project Update

Material Removal

•Waste/garbage, scrap steel, bales of paper, cardboard, shredded diapers and plastic bottles.

•4,500 tires were located in the plant, which have been disposed.

•Hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals total 800 containers totaling approximately 10,000 gallons.

All of these substances have been sampled and identified by certified, professional removal companies.

• 5,000-6,000 odd-sized pallets were removed.

Building Renovations

• All doors and windows have been repaired and made secure.

• Temporary electrical transformers installed and interior lighting installed.

• Planning for washrooms has begun and installation will be scheduled shortly.

Demolition

• Demolition is approximately 30 per cent complete. A number of storage silos with an average weight of 7.5 tons have been removed and remaining demolition should be completed by the end of January.

• King & Benton is trying to salvage much of the material being torn down in the spirit of Brownfield Redevelopment. A relationship has been established with Habitat for Humanity and they have been provided with materials from the redevelopment of the site.

Asbestos
• The testing for asbestos has been completed and the removal process has begun.

• Every precaution is being taken to ensure worker safety and proper disposal.

Environmental
• All reports are being filed with the proper agencies.

• All site drilling has been completed. No off-site contamination of soil or ground water has been detected.

• Inspections have been made by the Ministry of the Environment and the Fire Department.



For more information contact:

Kevin Lennon
416-322-3030
kevin@trilliumpr.com