On June 26, 2023, I reached out to the Kansas City Public Library about my project. They were able to guide me to the Kansas City Star and Times newspapers through their library database ( https://www.kclibrary.org/research-resources/research-databases/kansas-city-star-historical-and-current-collection). I looked through different archives using various keywords (i.e. Zill, Gas Leak, 31st and Cleveland, Inner City Oil, etc) and was able to find four newspapers related to the UST. I also looked into other news outlets (local TV stations, news articles, podcasts, youtube videos) and was able to find even more information about this case.

I learned about some of the frustration and health concerns of the residents as well as how businesses have been impacted by the gas leak. It is still unclear whether or not the tanks have been removed or if the problem has been fixed but there is currently a redevelopment project happening in the area. This project is called the Resurrection Village Project and it’s led by the Urban Success Development. There was a $300,000 settlement that ZIll agreed to pay and was distributed to 20 people including a church.

I currently do not have any information on what lawsuit resulted in this settlement or on how this money was distributed. My next step after extracting all this information from the news outlet is to find more information about the redevelopment project.

Here are some questions that I still have about the case: What is the current situation in the neighborhood? Is there still a lingering gasoline scent? Did soil and water get remediated before the redevelopment? What is currently the plan and timeline to redevelop the area? How far is the re-development process?