General Membership Meeting Minutes – April 21, 2021
The meeting recording is available at the following web link with the password below, with timestamps included in minutes:
Meeting Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/Rebga0vjTUSj7NIlEyVLnAgqRrJe-ze4YKZaPzrASIIZ89azF066i60p217SKiPU.2ojm_cX4DDTctBXm
Access Passcode: @2V&A6E8
The meeting began at 6:45 pm via Zoom with Secretary Brittany Fremion as host, with 30-32 participants.
Chairperson Jane Keon called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Additions
Item added under correspondence and communication (included below).
CAG Treasurer, Gary Smith, asked about EPA’s rejection for use of TAG funding for Technical Advisor (TA) to assist with investigation at the railroad spur site. EPA Project Manager, Tom Alcamo, said the spur is not officially part of the Velsicol Superfund Site and that the TAG team can send an official letter to clarify. The CAG maintains its stance that there is a need to pursue investigation with guidance from TA. EPA said that the area was sampled in RI and deemed not part of the cleanup, which is the core issue. The CAG TA, Scott Cornelius, shared that when he previously worked for state (DEQ Project Manager) on the creamery site the spur was identified as a possible site of contamination and that the boundaries for treatment can change if contamination is detected, which is what happened with the Velsicol Site and adjacent neighboring properties (ANP) and Breckinridge site.
Approval of March minutes. [00:07:15] (Liz Braddock/Wayne Brooks)
Treasurer’s Report [00:07:55]: Gary Smith, Treasurer
March 2021
The General Fund Checking balance stands at $4,986.40. The Money Market Account (Oxford Automotive settlement) has $65,075.16. TAG grant money available for the Former Plant Site (FPS) stands at $9,339.26. The Velsicol Burn Pit (VBS) has $48,744.28. Velsicol Burn Pit (VBP) Fund Checking $85.62. The complete reports will be attached to the permanent minutes.
Reminder about memberships ($5/year) and tee shirts available ($12). Send check to PO Box 172, St. Louis, MI 48880.
Gary submitted reimbursements for the annual non-profit fee, income tax return, and the CAG postal box, which haven’t been approved in three months. Tom said that they are justified charges and the delay is caused by the income tax return differentiation between CAG and TAG filings. The issue should be resolved soon.
The CAG is still waiting to hear back from EPA about potential merit review. Tom said it shouldn’t be a concern right now; rather, it’s tied to applications for additional TAG funding, which EPA will consult on when another funding request is initiated.
Correspondence and Communication [00:19:00]: Jane Keon, Chair
Response from the CEO of the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) regarding CAG letter about the misplaced records that praised the discovery of records and action to address. Overall, it is good the CAG registered concerns and copied state legislators on the initial letter.
Article in the Morning Sun about cleanup at the OU-1 of the Velsicol Superfund Site. The CAG is grateful for exposure and support of local press.
The CAG wrote a letter to EPA delineating the percentage breakdown for the TAGs and EPA agreed to our percentages: 60% of costs to the Velsicol Plant Site TAG, 20% to VBP TAG, and 20% for “other,” which includes PBB and other health-related activities, as well as other sites linked to Velsicol (Gratiot County Landfill and Smith Farm).
Jane received a note and comment from a reader of Tombstone Town wherein the referred to her as a “civic historian.” Jane likes that phrase and thinks we should use it more often, especially for those who are documenting and engaging in the work of sharing the history of the CAG.
Program [00:24:20]: Students of CAG Secretary Dr. Brittany Fremion will give a presentation on their digital public history class project regarding our CAG and the cleanups at the Velsicol Superfund sites.
The class worked with the CAG and JoAnne Scalf (Multigenerational Pine River Voluntary Health Map) to create a digital history project that explores the history of contamination in the Pine River watershed. Site visitors will be able to browse an interactive timeline, engage with maps that visualize health impacts, and explore primary sources and 5-12 lesson plans. The goals are to raise awareness about the history of contamination in the watershed and health impacts, as well as provide resources for educators and grow community engagement with the CAG. The class broke into four groups that worked on four components: (1) interactive timeline, (2) digital archive (gateway), (3) Story Map, and (4) curriculum. A student from each group reported on their methods for developing each component, including collaboration and software, and then gave tours of the materials they produced. Students also shared what they learned while working on the project.
Discussion
The tentative title for the project is “The Pine River Project,” but as pointed out by community members, further clarification might be needed to tie it to St. Louis and Mid-Michigan. As a result, the project may be called “The Pine River Project of Mid-Michigan.”
The group also talked about outreach to engage the interest of local educators, as well as encouraging guest speakers from the CAG to meet with students/classes.
Mike Soltis invited the class to present to the Gratiot County Local Emergency Planning Committee this summer.
Finally, Jim Hall asked the students if they found their passion working on this project, to which they enthusiastically replied. For instance, one student pointed out that the process was really enjoyable, especially working on curriculum to raise awareness. Another student shared that part of their joy in learning to become a public historian and museum professional is helping people grow and learn from the past. An MA student offered that creating the digital archive demonstrated the importance of doing so in the midst of a pandemic—that digitized sources and materials are valuable pieces of evidence. A GIS MA student also talked about how powerful it was to develop a component in her area of interest in service to the community. Finally, a public history senior talked about her family’s connection to this history and how much more meaningful it made the work.
JoAnne complemented the students and their professionalism, then encouraged the curriculum team to identify curriculum for Gifted and Talented Students, as well as connect with home school groups. She also reinforced the importance of meetings with CAG members or even participating in local school assemblies.
CAG leadership asked for links to the components and will provide feedback as able.
A soft launch of the project is planned for Mid-May and will be announced via the CMU Department of History blog, [Re]Collection History.
EPA Report [00:57:00]: Tom Alcamo, Remedial Project Manager
Update on Area 2, Phase 1 of the Velsicol Site – cooling cycle: EPA haven’t started studying yet but will start measurements later this summer. They are currently restoring the one acre area by regrading and seeding.
State of progress in Area 2, Phase 2 of the Velsicol Site – heating cycle: Heating started on/around April 12th and is in the very early stages, continuing into the fall (rue to initial estimate) with air monitoring data on the website. There isn’t a heating map yet because heating has just started. There haven’t been any hiccups and the team is hopeful for a smooth 90-day heating cycle at 112º F. Finally, they hope to have aerial views to share at the next CAG meeting.
State of progress on OU-3 and OU-4 of the Velsicol Site – downstream of the St. Louis dam: EPA expects RI for OU-3 to be released toward the end of the summer. The OU-4 carbon amendment study is online and phase 2 activated, with some carbon laid and initial study almost complete. Soil and worm samples reveal that the carbon is really working its way into the subsurface to a depth of nearly 3-4 inches in several areas, and in every grid it’s worked down 1-2 inches. The project team will do some additional ecostudy in OU-4 this summer, looking for some animals and insects, to see how it compares to the previous floodplain work that Dr. Matt Zwernick did in 2016.
Discussion
Does the additional ecostudy go into all of OU-3 and OU-4? No, OU-3 is done with no additional sampling. Need to plan for OU-4 and further sampling downstream, with current focus on phase 2.
Does OU-3 go to Madison Road and then OU-4 starts? No, from dam up to floodplain 1.2, which is just past the curve in the river by the athletic fields, and that’s OU-3. Carbon study is in OU-4 now. EPA will provide a map at the next meeting with these boundaries.
Phase 2 work plan was released at the end of January 2021. The website says it was posted to website 3/29/2021, which was probably when it was finalized.
Update on slurry wall and groundwater investigation: no updates or work expected before the fall.
Discussion:
Update on the contracting processes this summer for PSA 1 and 2 by MI 146, with design under review and a contract awarded for excavation of 100,000 tons next year.
The VBP is not currently funded despite rumors that the budget will be increased, but we are still waiting. The current list of unfunded sites is also rather large. The CAG will write a letter to its federal representatives for support.
Last well in city drinking water supply and well house with transmission main work being done this summer. Waiting on contact for drilling and installation, which the city is handling with its engineering firm and state doing permit work.
EPA is still removing about 20,000 gallons of wastewater from the collection trench. There is no increase in water, which pumps in equilibrium with river, or increase in DNAPL (about 6 inches in one of the manholes, which they will keep monitoring). To protect the manhole piping from the heat from the Area 2, Phase 2 thermal treatment, they have also taken steps to protect the piping from the heat, including real-time temperature monitoring and a water cooling process that pushes 4-5 gallons of water through the system per minute. The piping is buried 3 feet underground and this is a precautionary measure. In follow up, the CAG asked for integrity testing and long-term monitoring of the piping.
EGLE Report [01:22:55]: Erik Martinson, Project Manager
State of progress on railroad spur contamination site: Unfortunately no progress, it’s still with Mid Michigan Railroad’s legal department, which has to give the okay to grant access. Erik was told anything associated with Superfund Site takes more time to review. He remains hopeful for encouraging news on site access in the next few weeks.
EGLE will re-send the large package of aerial photos, especially those that show where the railroad ran through the community and plant site.
State of progress on bird and nest studies in the ANP: No updates.
Discussion:
The CAG pointed out that the railroad suggests there is a connection to the Superfund Site, despite exclusion from ROD. EGLE explained that it’s not included in OU-1 like ANP and Plant Site, and that investigation of creamery didn’t show contamination. But the railroad is likely wary of it becoming part of the site.
How can the CAG support work for bird study?
EGLE needs to reevaluate how and when to begin, especially with the current work being done on the plant site, so it won’t be something done soon. Excavations might influence study and so they are seeking further guidance from experts—the state biologist and/or contracting Weston to do the work. EGLE is in contact with David Kline about continued interest in another bird study.
There is a community desire to know where the robins are nesting. With excavations slated to begin next year at the earliest, now seems to be the best time to undertake the work. The CAG doesn’t understand the hesitation. Erik will reach out to EGLE management and report back next month. Jane pointed out that we have the standard operating procedure from the previous study for continuity and to help with process. There are also some people in the neighborhood who might help collect dead birds who were trained for the first study. Funding for the study remains a concern, but Erik will continue to advocate for it.
Old Business [01:37:40]
PBB Leadership Team Update
We have the go-ahead to notify former chemical workers and their families about the MDHHS webpage on PBB and Next of Kin Request for Transfer of Records Form. They can fill in the first part of the form and ignore the instructions to provide other documentation/certificates (see appended guides). So one of our upcoming projects is to notify chemical workers and their families so they can access data and records held by state of Michigan.
Emory received word of tentative approval of the grant extension, so scheduling will continue for appointments for the clinical trial, the multi-generational study, and the comprehensive health study. Over 250 people from the waiting lists have been contacted. There are 1900 people on the waiting list for blood draws.
Covid shutdowns caused significant delays to reporting, but we are excited to share that PBB blood results are on their way for two-thirds of people who have been waiting to see them for over a year.
Progress on website – Ed Lorenz [01:55:26]
TAG funding for website discussed previously. In regard to connecting with former chemical workers and providing information about their experiences, we’ll be sure to include that information on the website homepage. Other updates tied to new business, below.
New Business [01:43:30]
Discussion of Multi-generational study on DDT exposure ties in with the neighborhood mapping survey being conducted by JoAnne Scalf – No updates other than work with CMU class.
Ed added a report on a new study to website from April 15, 2021, that explores long-term consequences of DDT exposure. One of the lead authors of the study is Dr. Barbara Cohn, who was supposed to attend the Intergenerational Conference a few years ago and otherwise involved in organizing the event. There is interest in following up with her to see if she might be able to apply work here.
The findings remind Ed of the PBB community, they have a cohort of 20,954 women who were pregnant at some point between 1959 and 1967, and looked at DDT presence in women and then followed the daughters — about 9,000 — with a major report published in 2015 that demonstrated a significantly higher rate of breast cancer among them (daughters then aged 47-57). These women have 365 granddaughters who are now over 20 years of age and who are childbearing. While it’s too early to see if they will have the same breast cancer risks, they do have evidence of two of the predictors: twice the rate of obesity and twice as likely to reach menstruation before the age of 11. These chemicals remain a point of great concern.
Also, there’s a response to the 2015 study of daughters and one of the two authors was Linda Birnbaum, who wrote a summary about the DDT work and because of our contact with her from the symposium in 2020, we should bring this up with the PBB group, as we do have a local cohort in the Registry that also gets DDT results and several of the breakdowns.
Scott (TA) shared additional comments on the program: St Louis sits in a news void—we don’t tend to draw big regional papers; rather, the only people who knew about the cleanup and work being done are people in the area because of reporting by the Morning Sun. So it’s hopeful to have a project that will help to illuminate what’s going on and underscore the need for more studies, wildlife and human health, because they need to happen.
*Please remember to pay membership dues ($5/year). Send check to PO Box 172, St. Louis, MI 48880.
**The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
Meeting adjourned at 8:58 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Brittany Fremion, Secretary