Published: May 02, 2008 07:48 pm      

MINER: Revving up the RAB

Coming soon to a Town Hall near you: A couple of crusading chemists and a plea for support.

Members of the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works are hitting the road armed with a power point presentation and the support of state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

And they’re fighting for their existence.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who formed the RAB to act as a liaison for the community, has recently decided the RAB doesn’t meet federal regulations and therefore is merely a “citizen-based volunteer group.” Among the objections of the Corps: RAB isn’t properly structured and that it acts as an advocacy group.

The determination comes at a critical time in the federal government’s investigation of the Ordnance Works site, a 191-acre property which was once a TNT manufacturing plant for the nation’s armed forces during and after World War II.

That’s because the Corps recently issued its massive and highly technical Remedial Investigation Report — the result of years of chemical analysis and studies. They’ve determined there are no imminent health risks at the site.

For now, the RAB’s Chemical Committee agrees. But according to a presentation at Thursday’s Village of Youngstown Board of Trustees meeting, that doesn’t mean it’s time for Lewiston and Porter residents to breathe a sigh of relief and get on with their lives.

Bill Boeck detailed the foundation of a silo at the site which currently acts as host for mounds of radioactive sludge and a healthy chunk of the world’s mined Radium-226. According to tests, the structure is secure. But uncertainty about the structure’s foundation, high groundwater levels and a nearby ditch which feeds indirectly into Lake Ontario means that more tests must be done, Boeck said.

“Today we are OK,” he told the board. “I can’t guarantee tomorrow and beyond that.”

At the close of the meeting, Walt Garrow, the group’s recent former Steering Committee Chairperson, explained the group needs support in its fight to continue being recognized by the Corps. They’ve had some success: A written opinion by Cuomo saying the Corps actions are “not only inadvisable, they also violate federal law.”

But Garrow said a wideranging response is the only thing that will change the Corps’ mind.

They got off to a good start: a sympathetic audience in Youngstown. Residents asked how they can get involved. Village board members said they would support the group.

And they’re certainly not done. They’re coming to Monday’s Town of Lewiston meeting. The Corps is holding an information session from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The RAB’s bi-annual information session will be held at 7 p.m. May 21. Both will be held at the Lewiston Senior Center on Lower River Road.