The Community Involvement Plan was developed by the EPA to respond to concerns regarding the impact of the cleanup on the community.

Community Involvement Plan
Elizabeth Mine Superfund Site

Below is a list of the key features that will be highlighted in a formal Community Involvement Plan (CIP) to describe the post-National Priorities List (NPL) activities at the Site.

The goal of the Environmental Protection Association (EPA) community involvement program will be to:

• maintain the current level of interaction between the EPA and the community, particularly the work with the Community Advisory Group (CAG) and associated committees
• provide meaningful opportunities for public involvement in the design of the field studies, review of the data, development of cleanup options, and evaluation of cleanup options
• maintain open dialogue with community members during preparation, planning of and actual cleanup of the site. Be accessible and respond to community members should they have any questions or concerns about the cleanup
• perform sufficient outreach to assure that the community has been informed and that public issues are identified

Key items:

1. Public Access to the EPA
   
   The EPA will continue to meet with the community by participating regularly in CAG meetings, periodically meet with the Strafford Selectboard, and attend other public meetings, as appropriate. The EPA will also continue to work with the technical committees of the CAG. The EPA will be available as requested by the CAG and/or general public.
   
   
2. Public Perspective
   
   The EPA will summarize the interests and concerns as represented to date through the CAG or individual communications, and will perform outreach interviews and written surveys to better understand the local perspective. Individuals living near the Site and a cross section of the remainder of the community will be the target group for this outreach.
   
   
3. Public Access to Information
   
   The EPA will release periodic data reports to provide an update of the information collected. Interim reports will be developed to provide the public with an opportunity to review the information prior to the release of final reports. The EPA will seek feedback from the CAG regarding the interim reports that will be produced, and the distribution of these reports.
   
   
4. Responsiveness to Community Issues
   
   The EPA will work to identify and be sensitive to its unique concerns. Concerns identified to date include:
   
   
   • the health of the families living adjacent to the mine
   • the desire to have liability issues resolved as quickly as possible
   • impacts on historic resources
   • good science
   • impacts on the community, including truck traffic, noise and dust
   • the scale of the cleanup
     
     
5. Communication Between the EPA and the Strafford Selectboard
   
   The EPA will meet with the Strafford Selectboard on at least a bimonthly basis for the duration of the remediation project. The meetings will be used to brief the town on work that will be done, and to listen and respond to concerns of the town.
   
   
6. Construction-Related Impacts
   
   Once a remedy has been selected, the EPA will meet with the Selectboard to address construction-related impacts, including:
   
   
   • Impact on roads
   • Access road selection
   • Safety Noise, dust and aesthetic impacts
   • Ways to minimize idling trucks
   • Location of staging areas
   • Impact of the contractors on local businesses
     
     
   The EPA will identify an individual whose responsibility will be to work with the town as a liaison to resolve problems that arise. The EPA will develop an outreach program to notify all towns that might be impacted of the proposed work to be preformed, and will provide these towns with a person to contact, if problems arise.
   
   
7. Establishing Good Communication between the EPA, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and the Residents of Strafford and Thetford
   
   In the interest of building a relationship of trust with the residents, the EPA is committed to being a good neighbor during the planning of, preparation for and cleanup of the Elizabeth Mine site. As a good neighbor, the EPA will maintain open dialogue with community members, and listen and respond to community concerns as they arise. The EPA can only respond when told a problem exists. This requires good two way communication. To avoid potential misunderstandings, the EPA therefore asks any resident seeking information to talk directly to the EPA Project Manager or Community Involvement Coordinator. Residents may reach EPA staff toll free at 1/888-372-7341 if there are any questions, concerns or if clarification is needed regarding environmental work at Elizabeth Mine.
   
   Ed Hathaway: (617) 918-1372
   William Lovely: (617) 918-1240
   Sarah White: (617) 918-1026

The EPA will develop a more comprehensive discussion of these issues in the final community involvement plan.

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