Residents gathered to discuss the ongoing Trafalgar Road fire with officials.
Aaron DeCelle, who helped organize the discussion, said it was intended as an opportunity to inform the general public about the Trafalgar Road fire and efforts to mitigate it, as well as to ask questions of officials -- but he was disappointed that of everyone invited, POA chief operating officer Tom Judson and city council member Steve Bourke were the only panelists.
DeCelle said that he invited mayor Peter Christie, fire chief Steve Sims, Benton County Emergency Management director Robert McGowan, as well as representatives from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, or ADEQ, and the Arkansas Department of Health, or ADH.
While the two attending panelists fielded some questions about the plan to put out the fire, the actual level of risk, property values, how ongoing work is being funded and what that work is accomplishing, DeCelle said he would forward questions to the officials who did not show up.
DeCelle said he was interested in seeing additional, more in-depth testing. Test results do not indicate a significant risk, he said, but residents have seen health issues that seem to be related to the ongoing fire.
"We're only getting information on particles," he said. "There are EPA published studies that talk about the risk from burning dumps. And all of them -- all of them talk about the danger of accumulated exposure."
Bella Vista resident Kyle Whitlock spoke at the meeting. He lives on Sean Lane, extremely close to the burning former dump site, he explained, and people who live in that area tend to have a little cough.
He's concerned for his family's health, he said, and he doesn't know what they're inhaling.
Whitlock said he's upset by the response from officials and he was disappointed almost nobody showed up at the meeting.
Mayor Peter Christie said that he declined to show up after learning that no other officials would be there.
"When I heard that ADEQ wasn't going to be at that meeting, I didn't think there was anything I had to offer," he said.
Christie said he has previously suggested the ADEQ walk members of the public through options and come talk with the general public about mitigation efforts, but on the city's end, there isn't much that can be done.
The city does any work that the state agencies asks of it -- rerouting a drainage culvert that was supplying oxygen to the underground fire, for instance -- but isn't being kept in the loop and doesn't seem to have much input with state agencies.
"One of the frustrations we have is we, literally, don't know what's going on, we're not part of the planning," he said.
One thing the city is working on, he said, is providing relief for those affected. A burn ban was put in place within a one-mile radius of the fire to prevent contributions to the area's smoke.
The First United Methodist Church on Boyce Drive has opened its doors to residents who need a safe place with clear air during the daytime, he said, though nobody seems to be taking the church up on this offer.
Additionally, Christie said city officials have spoken with management at the North Bentonville Lowe's location, who have agreed to extend a discount on in-stock air filters, air purifiers and disposable masks with proof of residency.
Several residents have also agreed to offer a spare room, he said, though, to date, he isn't aware of anyone accepting that offer.
"It's very, very tough on the residents in that area ... it's just unacceptable, frankly, the way this has been handled," he said. "From the bottom of my heart, I want that fire out."
Meg Mirivel, a spokesperson for the ADH, said that her department let meeting organizers know ahead of time they would not attend.
"ADH has been issuing regular reviews of data gathered by ADEQ and EPA as it becomes available, as well as responding to health-related questions from concerned citizens," she said.
Donnally Davis, a spokesperson with the ADEQ, said that department representatives were unable to attend.
"Although ADEQ was unable to attend the meeting, the department has continued to be in contact with members of the community, the media and the mayor's office regarding ADEQ's ongoing efforts at the Trafalgar site," she said.
General News on 02/20/2019