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Tempers flare at protest of demolition

Picketing at an abandoned public works compound turns into a shouting match when a subcontractor arrives to begin work at the contaminated site.

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published August 16, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - For the second day in a row, protesters picketed outside Hernando County's abandoned public works compound Tuesday morning.

South Brooksville residents and activists rallied against the county's planned demolition of several buildings at the contaminated site. They say the county has failed to keep them informed about cleanup efforts. The protest began peacefully, but later devolved into a shouting match with a county contractor who arrived to begin the work, witnesses said.

"We would be happy if we knew exactly what went on and what's going down before they tear it down," said Booker T. Byrd, vice president of the Mitchell Heights Health Awareness and Restoration Board. "But as of now we don't. We're in the dark really."

The county operated a public works and fleet maintenance compound at the site for five decades. Neighbors in the Mitchell Heights subdivision, some of whom live less than 50 feet from the site, complained of the smell of fuel and chemicals, silt that drifted into their homes, and oily runoff pouring into their yards. Tests later found solvents and gasoline in the dirt and groundwater. Cleanup efforts initiated in 1991 repeatedly stalled, a St. Petersburg Times review found.

Recent tests found pollutants, including carcinogens like arsenic and benzene, in areas once thought to be clean. Soil samples taken in neighboring yards found three "hot spots" of lead and arsenic above state limits for residential areas.

A handful of neighbors have threatened to sue the county for personal injury and property damage. The state Department of Health said there is no immediate health risk, and expects to complete an evaluation of the long-term risk by late September.

In the last year, county and state officials promised Mitchell Heights residents to make the cleanup a priority and keep residents informed.

A pair of staffers from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the agency overseeing the cleanup, spent Tuesday morning explaining the planned demolition to area residents. The contractors have the appropriate certification, and met all the agency's notification requirements, said DEP spokeswoman Pamala Vazquez.

The protest proceeded peacefully until a subcontractor arrived to begin work, Vazquez said.

"What happened was wrong and inappropriate and it wasn't getting anyone where we wanted to be in terms of outreach to this community," she said.

Vazquez said the contractor demanded that the dozen or so protesters get off the property. The protesters were standing outside the compound's fence on W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Bertha Winslett, who lives behind the site on A Street, said the contractor was extremely rude. "He came through there like he was driving in the Indianapolis 500," she said. "He jumped out of the truck and started yelling."

She said the man, whose name wasn't released, insulted several protesters, threatened to put up barricades and said he was going to have them arrested for trespassing.

"It's a shame, because everything was going so well," said County Administrator Gary Kuhl. He was called out of the County Commission meeting to help diffuse the conflict.

Gregg Sutton, from the Public Works Department, arrived to referee the confrontation, as did the owner of Treelawn Builders of Brooksville, the demolition contractor, Vazquez said. The issue was quickly resolved, and Sutton stayed to answer questions from the protesters.

Sutton said, "The last thing that is going to be tolerated is discourteous and unprofessional conduct by any of the contractors." Sutton said he promised residents that there will be no repeat.

It was the latest chapter in a tense relationship between the county and local activists. With several residents telling the county they intend to sue, the county attorney recommended caution in any public statements made to community members. An attorney for the residents forbade the county from contacting his clients, a typical move in litigation.

As a result of the recent tension between the county and activists, the county and DEP are taking additional steps to keep residents informed, Kuhl said. They will try to work with the residents' attorney to make sure they reach everyone. A weekly update prepared by Sutton will be mailed to residents next to the site as well as anyone else who requests it. County Commissioner Chris Kingsley proposed meetings with the community twice a month.

"The feedback we got from the community, even with that hiccup, they were satisfied with the response they got today," Vazquez said.

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352 754-6127.

[Last modified August 16, 2006, 06:59:16]