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Some dumpings outside Crockett cleared, but main piece remains CROCKETT — A portable structure dumped along Cummings Skyway more than two months ago is gone — but not before someone tried to burn it down.

The structure — a trailer or modular unit, perhaps a portable office, according to officials — had been left at the side of the skyway between Crockett Boulevard and Highway 4 around May 11. In the ensuing days it attracted graffiti artists as well as other refuse, including loads of trash and an old boat — and the consternation of some residents who worried that the structure might contain asbestos and lead, among other concerns.

Whether that was the case needed to be determined before the structure could be removed, Contra Costa County Public Works Department officials said. The department hired a consultant, and results came in the week of July 17.

“It was negative for any hazmat, which was good news,” said Public Works Deputy Director Joe Yee.

As the department made arrangements to have the structure removed, someone attempted to torch it, early in the morning of July 22. Crockett-Carquinez firefighters quelled the fire.

On July 26, the slightly charred structure was towed away by a contractor.

“Now that eyesore is gone from the landscape, which is a good thing,” Yee said.

Margaret Faria, a Crockett resident who pressed officials to do something about the dumped portable, is not happy about how long it took to take care of the problem and the way the situation was handled in general.

“This was one of those experiences where Crockett and nearby communities are treated like second-class communities,” Faria said in an email. “We pay taxes and we should have been communicated with by both Public Works and our elected County Supervisor, Federal Glover.”

“The only time they did anything was after they saw our remarks about their lack of attention in the media,” she added.

Glover’s chief of staff, David Fraser, said Monday that there has been “a marked increase in terms of just about everything being dumped in that area,” and that hauling companies are “overwhelmed by the sheer volume.” Additionally, he said, the companies are asking for more money to remove the dumped stuff, if they are willing to do so at all, resulting in further delays.

Glover’s office recently identified funding that will allow the Sheriff’s office to contract directly with hauling companies to remove dumped objects, Fraser said.

Who dumped the structure, or who owned it, was still a mystery as of Monday. Officials have been “unable to locate any ID,” Sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said in an email.