Town hall meeting on 10-month spill anniversary

From:  The Cabin

By Courtney Spradlin

A Mayflower town hall meeting on the subject of the March 29 oil spill is planned for Thursday, marking the 10-month anniversary.

The group hosting is the Faulkner County Citizens Advisory Group and concerned Mayflower residents.

The meeting will be from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Maumelle Public Library, 10 Lake Pointe Drive.

Organizers said the event’s focus will be the community’s ongoing concerns about the effects of the oil spill and how best to engage with local and state officials.

Residents and those affected will discuss next steps and “how to move forward while continuing to educate one another about the long term effects,” according to the group.

“It is really essential that we as a community continue to pull together and support the residents of Mayflower and those negatively affected by this disaster,” said April Lane, FCCAG board member. “There is still much to be done, and it is all of our responsibilities to ensure that the communication dialogues remain open and that the appropriate resources the residents are asking for are brought to the table.”

Anne Redelfs, MD and author of “The Awakening Storm,” will speak about post-traumatic stress disorder as it related to the Mayflower oil spill.

Jeffery Bondanski, retired hazmat worker, will speak about the proper handling of chemical oil disasters.

Members from FCCAB will provide updates and information from past meetings.

Organizers said the group will discuss how to move forward with the development of an online database for reporting environmental hazards seen to pose threat.

Lane said the hope is that once reported incidents are moderated by environmental experts, the potential hazards will be recognized by state agencies.

Mayflower residents will provide updates on current conditions and their community experience in the wake of the spill, Lane said.

Photos of the cove area of Lake Conway will also be shared.

For more information, contact Geneive Long at genieve85@gmail.com or April Lane at 501-538-7002.

Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline carrying heavy crude from Canada to the southern United States ruptured March 29, 2013.

The spill sent the product into the street of the Northwoods neighborhood, into the drainage system and finally the watershed of Lake Conway.

(Staff writer Courtney Spradlin can be reached by email at courtney.spradlin@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1236, or on Twitter @Courtneyism. To comment on this and other stories in the Log Cabin, log on to www.thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)