University of Missouri announces plan to restart demolition plan of radioactive building

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri announced it will restart a demolition plan for Pickard Hall, a building that held radioactive chemistry experiments in the early 20th century.

MU held a public meeting Thursday with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where they discussed a new plan to demolish the century-old building.

The university has been working with the N.R.C. since 2009, after it found radioactivity in Pickard Hall.

Viktoria Mitlyng from the N.R.C. says many revision requests delayed the approval process of the first plan for the last three years. "It's a very complicated process," says Mitlyng.

In the meeting, MU and the N.R.C. said they mutually decided to work together more, and design a new plan from scratch.

Mitlyng also says the agency will work closely with MU to align contamination levels, cost estimates, and the final survey method with N.R.C. criteria.

MU spokesperson Christian Basi says that the college plans to resubmit a new plan by June 2023, but it does not want to rush the process.

"It's not a matter of time. It's a matter of making sure it's done in as safe a manner as possible," says Basi.

Mitlyng says that after the university resubmits the plan, it could take up to 2 years to approve it.

Basi says the university has not decided what will replace Pickard Hall, but it will make sure it "enhances the quad even further."