Over a span of more than a decade, Middleport residents have attended many of the public meetings hosted by FMC and the Agencies (DEC, EPA and DOH) in regard to the on-going environmental investigation and remediation. As part of the overall RCRA environmental program, these meetings were held to keep the community informed of the progress and of the work that took place as part of this program.
At numerous meetings prior to the remediation of the homes o要 Vernon Street, Main Street and FMC’s property near the railroad tracks, the Village residents in attendance made it very clear that they would have wanted more meaningful participation at an earlier stage of the o要going environmental process.
Following the guidelines recommended by the EPA, Village residents formed the Middleport Remediation Advisory Group (MRAG) approximately three years ago as a direct result of a meeting with the Agencies and the Mayor where it was expressed that such a committee be formed as a liaison between the community and the agencies.
The overall sentiment of those meetings set the stage for what has evolved as the Middleport Community Input Group. This group is made up of individuals from the FMC CAP Committee, an o要-going community group that meets regularly with FMC and the Agencies, the MRAG (Middleport Remediation Advisory Group), Village officials and Middleport residents. Since the formation of the Middleport Community Input Group, members of MRAG, CAP, Village representatives and local elected officials have been meeting with FMC and the Agencies to share ideas about Middleport’s “path forward”.
Future meetings will include discussions about the study areas to be addressed and various accepted remedial options will be discussed.
Input from the community and property owners will be built into the work plans. The public will have an opportunity to review and comment further o要 these work plans before they are approved and implemented by the Agencies.
The Middleport Community Input Group will continue to meet o要 a regular basis to provide the needed information and guidance from the community to FMC and the Agencies as they prepare formal work plans for future projects. The group's website at www.middleport-future.com is where meeting notes and information about the group can be found.
