Lawrence developer gets prison time for improper asbestos disposal at country club
A Lawrence developer was sentenced to three months in federal prison Thursday for failing to properly dispose of asbestos while renovating a local country club, according to federal prosecutors.
Thomas S. Fritzel, 54, was also ordered to pay a $55,000 fine. He had been convicted during a criminal trial in July of violating the Clean Air Act, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release.
Prosecutors said Fritzel violated federal laws for handling asbestos during demolition and renovations at the Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence.
Fritzel was charged with failing to notify authorities before removing asbestos and not keeping asbestos wet during demolition to prevent air contamination. He also failed to dispose of asbestos in leak-tight containers, prosecutors allege.
Fritzel knew that the roof of the country club contained 75 percent chrysotile asbestos. The previous owners, who sold the club to Fritzel in January 2016, had decided not to replace the roof because of the cost of abating the asbestos, McAllister said.
On Oct. 19, 2016, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment instructed Fritzel to get a licensed asbestos contractor to remove asbestos from the site and dispose of it properly.
Last month, pleaded guilty to conspiring to deprive the city of sales tax revenues in connection with the multimillion-dollar Oread Inn hotel project.
Fritzel admitted that he caused false monthly sales tax returns to be submitted to the state of Kansas. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4 and faces up to a year in federal prison and possible $250,000 fine, according to federal prosecutors.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 2:07 PM.
