This is a piece of data that came to me and I am in complete surprise at what is being written?
"There are a lot of issues the citizens and businesses are facing at this moment with the officials that are running our city. We have to take one of them at a time by setting priorities.Our community needs to be working together to get something done in regards to the contamination that is in the soil be it on the Johns Manville property or the plume that came from the dry cleaners to keep it out of our drinking water, in my opinion, should be the top priority. Hopefully, others will see it too. They will not or can not remove the contamination so the alternative would be to focus on the water wells that can and will be affected by this and be eventually in our drinking water".
I read the above several times; went back through my memory on a Council Meeting that was not open to questions/ speakers except Council and what happened there, plus what I have been told by people who live on/near 34th St. More below:
1. At the Special Council Meeting and I can pull the notes/ comments if needed, it was about the purchase/ testing that was going on at Johns Manville. The Council had gone into an Executive Session about 35 minutes into the meeting and the few attendees were talking amongst ourselves.
There were two people of special interest in the audience out of maybe a half dozen total. One had worked at Johns Manville for the seventeen years leading up to its closure and a person who was part of the Triad Drilling crew.
The guy from Triad was speaking and I asked him about the issue of any contamination from the site going into the Ohio River. He said their testing had indicated that the contamination would go to the North East (which would possibly send it in the direction of the old Dry Cleaning site that is located on 30th?). That I guess might somehow join with any contamination that is currently going down the 34th St area towards Jackson Middle School. That is why there are supposedly monitoring wells along 34th to keep track of the plume from the Dry Cleaners? There are at least two people who are in Ms. Brenda Powell's group that can tell her more on this.
2. If I am anywhere near correct, the contamination would be of little danger to the City Wells as 7 & 8 are below Johns Manville just exactly where I am not sure in respect to being somewhere behind the Mall area? And wells 9 & 10 are by 10th and Grand Central next to Sam's. Of course 11- 14 are up at the School site on I believe 58th?
The contamination in the ground and most importantly still entering via the C8 in the air that is coming down all over the place will continue for years, if not forever? It is not a problem to our drinking water if what we are told about is correct? It may be we have more danger from it getting into our skin/ organs via breathing/ absorbed in our skin than through our water?
The soil overall at Johns Manville is not going to get cleaned up. Not now, probably not ever? At the best, a "cap" of several feet/ inches of dirt would be put over it. The 9 or 10 5' x 5' x 2' covers to be put in are a bit suspicious to many of us, but now is a fact of life per DEP and the City in their agreements on the Park Site.
Going back to the above meeting, just before the Council returned, a Lady came in and sat down. Once the Council returned, she almost immediately started talking. Her last name was I believe Metz? She had arrived 35 minutes after the meeting began saying she had just finished working in her Roses. She was allowed to ask questions for several minutes which infuriated the ex Johns Manville worker who wanted to talk but was not allowed too. He got up and left, and I never saw him in a meeting again. Once again, if you know Mr. Rapp and if you are a female he will let you go on and on. I think he is afraid of Females? And of course his friends/ supporters always get an exception as we have seen time and again be they Male or Female?
Why we seem to have our cause du jour is forever a question to me. Every time we turn around, it seems something is going on to protect Mr. Rapp? Issues are brought up that allow him to be side stepped and your attentions are sent elsewhere. As an example, the hoopla on now impeaching him? I noted this would not fly; appears to have crashed and burned as soon as the Court System and money came up?
Now you folks are being sent off on a tangent on issues that cannot be resolved either. The only way to clean up the Johns Manville site is to completely dig out ALL the contaminated soil down to I don't know how deep? I suspect major problems once the digging were to hit the seepage from the Ohio River which is higher now than most of the years the Plant existed there. Apparently now the water table is about 20 feet but back in the day when the Ravine was there (40' to 50" at its deepest) and material being dumped in it, it was dry? And of course the second best way to put a "cap" of several inches of dirt all over the site. Until one or the other, there will always be a chance of contamination to anyone using that Park.
It was noted that Mr. Rapp was said to have been out with a Map and Mr. Rebar from CMI and some of his crew. Mr. Rapp was said to be pointing out what may have been the sites for the additional drilling? Why in God's Name would he be the one when he has stated the Ravine never existed? Can anyone believe that he will be even in spitting distance of the possible center of that Ravine where it can be drilled to the necessary at least 55' down? If you believe that folks, I have a Bridge in Brooklyn, New York and some really down home Islets in the Florida Everglades that I will sell to you cheap. This deed will include a Gator Steak Night each Saturday excluding Hurricanes Covenant.
PLEASE, please, do not continue to be side stepped from the real issues in this City. That being the on going waste of Tax Dollars and the inept performance of the City Council. It is only going to get worse until someone shows up, investigates and hopefully escorts Mr. Rapp and most of his crew out of the City Building on 29th in cute little shiny, brand new, silver colored Bracelets?
How can this Community work together when the craziness continues? Rick, will you talk to Brenda on how to do research? I certainly agree on working for the common good, but it is not happening; too much personality involved and not enough Vienna.
At this posting, I have at least talked with one of the Drilling Crew who did that type of work as a profession and several of the people who live in the 34th St. area. 'nuff said'.