COME TO A MEETING! (come to both meetings!)

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Monday, February 25th @ 5:30 p.m.

Santa Fe College Center For Innovation And Economic Development 530 W. University Avenue

This may be your last chance to influence the Koppers Cleanup!

Protect Gainesville’s Citizens (PGC) is your not-for-profit organization, engaging our local community in the remediation process for the Koppers Superfund Site. You have made a tremendous difference! The Consent Decree is now before a local Federal Judge. The process requires a 30-day Citizen’s Comment Period, which has begun.

The purpose of Monday’s meeting is to support you as you formulate your opinions, questions and comments on the Consent Decree. These comments can then be submitted to the EPA at their community-wide meeting:

 

Wednesday, February 27 – 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the

Stephen Foster Elementary School

At this public meeting, the EPA will record all comments and questions about the Koppers Clean-up Process. These comments, with the Consent Decree, will go before a Federal Judge for final disposition. This Consent Decree will legally bind the company Beazer East to provide the off-site and on-site cleanup as described in the accompanying pages.

We invite you to come to the meetings on the 25th and 27th and welcome your thoughts and feelings.

Now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their neighborhood!

Protect Gainesville’s Citizens, Inc., 530 W University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601

 

http://protectgainesville.org kim@protectgainesville.org ta@protectgainesville.org 352.354.2432

 

Mission: to provide Gainesville Area citizens with accurate and comprehensible information about the Cabot/Koppers Superfund site. Through analytical research, outreach education, and community participation, Gainesville citizens will have an active voice in the Cabot/Koppers Superfund site cleanup process.

 

 

 

Eco Health Festival

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Saturday, April 21st from  10 am – 4 pm

936 NW 31st Ave, Gainesville, FL  (Agape Faith Center)

 

What is the Eco-Health Festival?

The Koppers Superfund site is located in northwest Gainesville within walking distance for thousands of people. In 2009, it was discovered that toxic chemicals from Koppers, including dioxin, have been blown into area neighborhoods by dust carried in the wind. Testing has shown these chemicals in nearby yards and there is concern that dioxin from Koppers is in homes too.  A study of dioxin in house dust is planned to begin soon. Unfortunately, dioxin can cause serious health problems, even in very small amounts. So, since we are unsure about how much of these chemicals from Koppers is in our yards and homes, it is best to take steps to avoid them.

At the Eco-Health Festival, you can learn more about a range of issues related to living near Koppers, as well as how to reduce your family’s exposure to many other potentially harmful chemicals we encounter in our daily lives. Taking common-sense precautions to protect our health CAN make a difference. Come celebrate EARTH DAY with us, April 21st at the Eco-Health Festival!

Music
Dale Crider, Tom Shed, Learning Arts Academy Singers,The Hogtown Pickers, Rise Up Singing!, Amanda Guerrigues

Kids
Moon Walk and Gator Bounce, Face Painting, Games, Eco-Art, Prize Drawings, Child Care

FREE TASTY THAI FOOD FOR THE FIRST 500 PARTICIPANTS

Speakers
Long-time residents of the Stephen Foster Neighborhood – sharing perspectives
Glenn Acomb, UF Landscape Architect – Improving remediated neighborhoods
Kedesch Altidor – USEPA environmental justice program
Russell Anderson – Safe gardening when the soil is contaminated
Rick Bernal – Practical ways to reduce the amount of dust in your home
Pat Cline, PhD – The upcoming House Dust Study – what it’s all about
Tom Hundersmarck, PhD – Our different responses to & perspectives about Koppers
Julia, Jade and Pearl – Safe, effective body products for kids
Jay Lessl, UF Soil & Water Science – Cleaning up soil with plants
Liberty Phoenix Lord – Eliminating toxics in home building
Mayor Craig Lowe – City support of neighborhoods slated for remediation
Sabrina Lutes, LMT – Reducing chemical exposures in infants and children
Susan Marynowski – Herbs for immune system and liver support
Maria Minno, PhD – Immune health through diet
Raven Moonlight – Immune boosting through stress reduction
John Mousa, PhD – The onsite impact of chemicals at Koppers
Mallory O’Conner – The Superfund Art Project
Robert Pearce – The Stephen Foster Neighborhood Association
Kim Popejoy – Protect Gainesville Citizens community support group
Paul Rothstein, PA – The class-action lawsuit against Koppers
Jennifer Springfield, PA – Disclosure law for renting/buying near a Superfund site
Barton Wilder, IFAS – Non-toxic pest control
Dean Williams, PhD – What the residential clean-up is all about

www.ecohealthgville.org
Check the website for a schedule of events April 10th, or contact Ky at
kygress@ufl.edu for more information

Region4: Transformation Through Imagination – Traveling Exhibit

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Exhibition Specification

The traveling exhibit consists of 24 20” x 24” plastic panels.
17 high-resolution photographs of the individual art works included in the Region4 exhibition
2 photographs of the Thomas Center installation
4 text panels with information about the Superfund Art Project
1 title panel

The panels are ready to install and can be hung individually or grouped to suit the requirements of the host venue’s wall space. They can be hung on walls, hung from molding or attached to walls using Velcro.

Alternately, the 24 panels can be installed on 6 metal grid self-standing panels that can be sent with the exhibit. The metal panels are 24 inches wide and 72 inches high and can be viewed from both sides. The free-standing panels can be moved into whatever configuration your exhibit space requires. The photo panels easily attach to the grid using clips that are included in the exhibit package.

There is no rental fee for this exhibition. The organizers request that host venues pay shipping costs of approximately $100.00 to the next venue and maintain insurance on the exhibit during transit. The show is packed in two 28” x 28” x 75” crates on casters for easy handling.

Each host venue will receive a DVD of “The Superfund Art Project and the Region4 Exhibition,” a video documentary by Wes Lindberg and 50 copies of Transformation Through Imagination, an illustrated catalogue of the Thomas Center exhibition.

Contact information: Mallory O’Connor
oconnorartLLC.com or

Region4: Transformation Through Imagination

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Region4: Transformation Through Imagination

March 2 – April 28, 2012

Thomas Center Main Gallery
302 NE 6th Ave, Gainesville, FL

Region4: Transformation Through Imagination features works by eighteen artists that seek to transform the reality of the local Cabot/Koppers EPA Superfund site into images that convey both the history of the issue and the possibilities for restoration and positive change. The artists have used scientific data from the site to create their art works, often forming partnerships with scientists who served as consultants on the projects.

Region4: Transformation Through Imagination was organized by the Superfund Art Project (SAP) and hosted by the City of Gainesville’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) in collaboration with Protect Gainesville Citizens (PGC). The exhibition and related programs are funded in part by a grant from the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and are managed by oconnorartLLC, a Gainesville-based art consulting business.

The Artists who are participating in the exhibit include: Kate Barnes, Stacey Breheny, Anthony Castronovo, Jerry Cutler, Bonita Dewilaby, Lorelei Esser, Florida Research Ensemble, Katerie Gladdys, Tom Hundersmarck, Nitin Jayaswal, Debra Lindberg, Jill Murphree-Leitner, John A. O’Connor, Melanie Peter, Sherrie Pettigrew, Anne Stagg, and Margaret Ross Tolbert. Scientific consultants and other collaborators include Lu Cao, Pat Cline, Ky Gress, Wes Lindberg, Tom Morris, Anna Prizzia, Barbara Jo Revelle, Whitney Sanford, Jack Stenner, Greg Ulmer and Samuel Lopez de Victoria.

Opening reception: March 2, 5-7 p.m. An opening reception will be held at the Thomas Center from 5 to 6 P.M. on March 2. Following the reception, Exhibition Curator Mallory O’Connor will present a “Gallery Talk” and tour of the exhibition. Next, Cinema Verde, the Environmental Film and Arts Festival, will present a short video piece at the Thomas Center and then host the screening of an environmental film at Villa East. All events are free and open to the public.

SAVE THE DATE!!! March 30, 6 p.m. Lecture by NY photographer Brooke Singer
Media artist Brooke Singer, Associate Professor of New Media, State University of New York, Purchase, will give a talk titled “Alternative Histories: Mapping Toxic Legacy and Tracking Superfund.”

April 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eco-Health Festival, Agape Faith Center
Learn more about the Superfund site. Attend an informational gathering that will feature speakers, community organizations, food and fun for the kids. Located at Agape Faith Center, 936 NW 31st Avenue, Gainesville, Florida.

The Thomas Center Galleries are located at 302 NE 6th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601. Gallery hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tuesday from 8 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The galleries are closed Sundays and for observed holidays. For additional gallery information, please contact Russell Etling, Cultural Affairs Coordinator at (352) 393-8532 or visit www.gvlculturalaffairs.org.