The University of Minnesota is out $60,000 because of asbestos violations at its Centennial Showboat in St. Paul and at UMore Park in Rosemount, state officials said.

According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA):
The fire-damaged showboat had been dry-docked in St. Paul for renovation since 1995. A third party salvaged the ship's hull, and the MPCA in May 2007 inspected the vessel and found on the ground about 45 yards of material containing asbestos. The cancer-causing material came from the dismantling of the showboat's boiler.

The university did not prevent the material from becoming airborne and did not meet environmental notification and disposal requirements.

UMore Park is a former federal site that once had more than 900 buildings on it, and they were demolished before the university took ownership in the 1940s. The university had been using heavy equipment to clear trees and brush, and the equipment was running over and breaking up the material containing asbestos, according to an MPCA inspection in September 2007.

The university has agreed to pay $10,000 in civil penalties and $50,000 for an environmental project.