Residents who live near the Ford plant in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood expressed concern Monday night about how the contaminants that are polluting the area will be disposed of once the plant is shut down.

At a question-and-answer session, a handful of people asked whether trucks would be going through the neighborhoods or, perhaps, whether the pollutants would be put on a barge.

"I want to make sure we get all of it," neighbor John Krenik said of the pollution. He called the site "the most valuable piece of property in St. Paul" and said it needs to be redeveloped in the best way possible.

Residents were told that many details -- from how it will be cleaned up to what will become of the site --will remain up in the air until more testing and analysis are done. Ford plans to close the 138-acre truck assembly site in 2009, a year later than originally planned.

A study of the site submitted to city and state officials in late October said investigators identified about a dozen areas that are polluted enough to require further study and possible cleanup.

Representatives from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Ford's environmental consultants met with about 50 people -- mostly residents -- at Lumen Christi Catholic Church on Monday night.

At the meeting, Karen Kromar of the MPCA said: "What everyone is seeking in the end is environmental closure. This is a desirable thing to have if you're trying to market your site."

The MPCA designation would assure potential buyers and redevelopers that they won't inherit liability for problems that might be discovered at the site in the future. Instead, Ford would continue to be responsible.

St. Paul officials are working with Ford, adjacent property owners and other community groups to assess the viability of five redevelopment proposals for the site. The proposals include mixed-used residential, commercial and office developments as well as a high-density transit hub. City officials said the environmental assessments are key to determining the land's value and the viability of future redevelopment options.

City planner Merritt Clapp-Smith said that the 2009 closure has pushed back everything and that the city won't be comfortable recommending a redevelopment option until after testing has been done, which could be in 2010.

The city expects to hold another public meeting this summer after members of the Ford site task force assess the fiscal effects of the redevelopment options under consideration.

Patrice Relerford • 612-673-4395