Neighborhood Environmental College

Our third Neighborhood Environmental College session was one we’ve never had before. A consulting group in charge of the remediation efforts of the former Velsicol chemical manufacturing site in Alton Park hosted a mandatory public meeting to update the community on their practices and potential future use of the site. Given the history of contamination throughout South Chattanooga, meetings like these are crucial for understanding what cleanup efforts actually entail to avoid misinformation. The speakers clarified how far the site has come since the start of remediation and answered all of the attendees’ questions to the best of their ability. Future development was discussed, but more public meetings will occur if that process begins. Ultimately, in this time of administrative uncertainty with the government, it was comforting to hear that this site was following all state-imposed remediation procedures and regulations to the best of their ability. The owner of the site attended as well and shared his hopes that the site would be useful to the community in the future.