|
It comes some two decades after work was undertaken to clean up the 70 acres that once was home to the smelter.
The certificate opens up 26 acres for commercial and industrial use. One prospective user is the East Central Oklahoma Family Health Center. That group wants to build a multimillion dollar facility to handle health and dental care for elderly and low income area residents.
Monday night, city council members approved a letter supporting the construction project. That plan had been announced earlier this year and Family Health officials were seeking grant monies to aid in building the 15-acre facility.
Several emails sent to the EPA and DEQ as well as federal and state elected officials opposed the work saying there was still pollution on the site.
That is a charge both the EPA and DEQ denies.
Hazardous material cleaned up in the 1990s was taken to a central location on the northwest side of the site and covered per with both a clay cap as well as nearly two feet of topsoil. That area is listed as protected and no building or digging is allowed.
The rest of the area has received several feet of clean soil over the former ground level.
"Based on information available as of this date, EPA has determined that the unacceptable levels of risk to current and future users of the Central Plateau area of the Eagle-Picher Henryetta Superfund site have been abated for industrial and commercial users, which would include use as a health care clinic," says the EPA letter signed by EPA Superfund Division director Carl Edlund.
City officials are working with both EPA and DEQ to hold a town meeting on the site. That would give the history as well as cleanup efforts done as part of the Superfund project.
In a related issue Monday night, the city council and DEQ agreed to get a survey for the entire 70-plus acre site. That would include the area where future construction could be done that is already platted for various lots.
"There has never been an exact survey done," said city manager Ted Graham. He pointed out the survey would place pins on all lots and corners of the property. "We will know where everything is at. This should have been done a long time ago."
Council members also agreed to purchase another 17.7 acres on the northern part of the site from Terry and Judy Varner. The $25,000 purchase was done to clear up a dispute over some original cleanup that extended into the Varner property.
The city council gave approval for a letter of support to the East Central Oklahoma Family Health Center.
That letter gave assurances the city would provide the 15.4 acres of land to build a new 7,560 square foot health care facility.
|
