[Durham INC] Urge attend 3/29 Public mtg re: demolishing BB&T bldg due to contamination by Perc & other dry cleaning chemicals

Fri Mar 25 15:10:17 EDT 2011

To neighborhood, community, environmental  and political activists and
concerned citizens,

WHAT?
Public Meeting about the PROPOSED DEMOLITION OF THE ³BB&T BUILDING²(corner
of Club Blvd. & Watts St.) DUE TO THE SITE¹S ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION BY
DRY-CLEANING SOLVENT CHEMICALS INCLUDING PERC.

Representatives from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (NCDENR) Dry-Cleaning Solvent and Cleanup Act Program (DSCA), and
its independent contractor (Withers & Ravenel Engineers), will provide a
summary of the proposed demolition, and will answer questions and hear
comments directly related to this proposal.

The elements of the complete Notice of Intent to Remediate a Dry-Cleaning
Solvent Facility or Abandoned Site are included in the Interim Risk
Management Plan (RMP) available at www.ncdsca.org <http://www.ncdsca.org> ,
under ³Public Notices.² See BB&T, DSCA Site #32-0013.

WHERE & WHEN?
Brogden Middle School Auditorium 710 pm
1001 Leon St., Durham NC 27704 (this is the correct street number)

The meeting is free and open to the public.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
PERC and some of its associated products are believed to be toxic and may
cause health problems. NC DENR considers the ³BB&T site² as one of the most
highly contaminated dry-cleaning sites in North Carolina. To date, NC DENR
DSCA Program has identified 15 contaminated sites in Durham County and 258
contaminated sites in the state. ³There are an estimated 2,000 active and
abandoned dry-cleaning sites in North Carolina. As many as 1,500 of these
sites may be contaminated with solvents used in the dry-cleaning process.²
[http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wm/dsca]

The decisions made about handling the ³BB&T site² could set a precedent for
the entire state. 

Issues of concern to residents and commercial property owners include:
€ Health issues related to the demolition of a contaminated building (from
dry-cleaning contamination, asbestos, and particulate matter, and more)
€ Traffic circulation in the area during the time of demolition and cleanup
€ Appropriate and proper disposal of the demolition debris (at least some of
building¹s remains will end up in the Durham County landfill)

I urge you to attend the public meeting and ask others you know to do
likewise.
The contamination by the dry cleaners may impact more than the immediate
neighborhoods. (For more information see the attachment.) The auditorium of
the Brogden Middle School, the site of the public hearing, seats hundreds of
people. From my years as an activist I believe it is extremely important
that there be a good turnout. I want NC DENR and its contractor and the
press to see that there is an interest in the dry-cleaning contamination
issue. Also having numbers helps people who do come to the public hearing
feel supported.

Other ways you can help?
1. Write and ask others to write public comments. The deadline for
submitting public comments is April 13, 2011.

Comments are to be sent to:

Billy Meyer
DSCA Remediation Unit
Division of Waste Management, NC DENR
1646 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1646

2. I would encourage everyone to write letters to the editor (including in
response to my letter in this Sunday¹s News & Observer.)

3. I have a number of requests of you that would help spread the word about
the public meeting and educate people about the issues relating to
dry-cleaner contamination and the concerns demolition of the BB&T building
may cause. 
·         If time permits I would like a notice about the public meeting be
included in your newsletters and on any list serve you are a part of.

·         Would you announce at your upcoming meetings information about the
public meeting re: demolishing the ³BB&T² building due to its toxicity from
dry cleaning chemicals? (For a suggestion for the wording of an announcement
see below.)

·         Could you make copies of the attached new flyer and pass them out
to people that you know?

·         I would really appreciate any assistance you can provide in
educating your family members, friends, coworkers and organizations that you
are affiliated as to the concerns regarding to the demolition of buildings
that are contaminated with dry cleaning chemicals and the impact this may
have.

Thank you very much!

Sincerely,
Laura Drey 
Trinity Park Neighborhood Association PERC Committee member
403-2248
------------

A suggested version for an announcement is:

There will be a Public Meeting regarding the Proposed Demolition of the
Building known as ³BB&T²  Due to Environmental Contamination by Dry-Cleaning
Solvent Chemicals. (The building is located at the corner of Club Blvd. and
Watts St. in Trinity Park neighborhood and is one block from the Walltown
neighborhood.)

The meeting will take place this Tuesday, March 29th from 7 to 10 p.m. at
the Brogden Middle School Auditorium at 1001 Leon St.

Representatives from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (NCDENR) Dry-Cleaning Solvent and Cleanup Act Program (DSCA), and
its independent contractor (Withers & Ravenel Engineers), will provide a
summary of the proposed demolition, and will answer questions and hear
comments directly related to this proposal.

The elements of the complete Notice of Intent to Remediate a Dry-Cleaning
Solvent Facility or Abandoned Site are included in the Interim Risk
Management Plan (RMP) available at www.ncdsca.org <http://www.ncdsca.org> ,
under ³Public Notices.² See BB&T, DSCA Site #32-0013.

For more information, contact Laura Drey at 403-2248; or contact Billy
Meyer, NCDENR¹s project manager for the BB&T site, at 508-8415.

The hearing is free and open to the public.

Having a good turnout at the public meeting is very important.

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