By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LIBERTY TWP. - Cleanup officially begins today at the lead-and-arsenic contaminated Lexington Manor subdivision as crews begin taking thousands of soil samples to determine more precisely how much dirt must be removed.

Gathering nearly 15,000 samples is expected to last four to six weeks. Dirt excavation should begin by late October and last three to six months. The cost is expected to reach into the millions, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokesman said.

The cleanup also may involve property outside of the Lexington Manor subdivision. An adjacent yard, just east of the subdivision along Millikin Road, recently tested high for lead. The EPA likely will pay for that cleanup, also expected to take place this year.

Lexington Manor residents say they are relieved the subdivision has been declared a U.S. Superfund site and the cleanup is starting.

But the process has been a long time coming for residents like AnneMarie Hester, who hasn't allowed her four children to play in the back yard since March.

"The cleanup really needs to get going," said Hester, 34. "The EPA has known about this since December, and it's taken this long before we've seen any action. In the meantime, we have all these kids and it's not fair to them."

Lead can be harmful to those who eat or breathe it, especially to children because the metal can interfere with normal brain development.

Despite safety precautions workers plan to take, Hester plans to temporarily move out once the cleanup work gets close to her home. Some families already have moved away, including some who accepted buy-back offers from the subdivision's builder, Ryland Homes.

Twenty families in Lexington Manor have sued Ryland Homes, developer Lexington Manor, Inc., and others over the lead lingering from when the site was a skeet-shooting range 30 years ago.

Ryland recently settled all the suits and was the only party deemed responsible for the cleanup by the EPA to sign a binding, federal order outlining the cleanup. The other party, Lexington Manor, Inc., whose agent is developer Harry Thomas Jr., of HT Investments Inc., of Fairfield, has refused to sign it, according to the EPA.

While negotiations continue, Ryland is shouldering the entire project cost.

Meanwhile, State Rep. Gary Cates wants to make sure debacles like Lexington Manor don't occur again. At a recent EPA meeting, he announced he plans to propose stricter disclosure laws for land for new homes.

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E-mail: jedwards@enquirer.com