Attendees: Jason Schwartzman (Facilitator), Katie Bishop, Lisa Bowstead, George Fiala, Andrea Parker, Joan Salome-Rodriguez
Overview and Timeline for Town Hall on Soil Vapor Intrusion
• Target Date: September, aligned with the timing of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) annual soil vapor investigation reports.
• Primary Goals: 1) To raise awareness of Soil Vapor Intrusion and the health impacts among Gowanus property owners and renters; 2) To encourage property owners to opt into DEC’s free testing and mitigation; 3) To provide practical information on the nuts and bolts of what’s involved in the testing and mitigation of a property.
• Target Audience: Property owners, renters, businesses and schools within the specific Gowanus soil vapor investigation area.
Immediate Action Items & Strategy
• The committee will first approach local elected officials—Council Member Shahana Hanif, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, and State Senator Andrew Gounardes—to ask them to co-host the event and officially invite the DEC.
• Andrea volunteered to email the officials and their top staff.
• The committee will meet in August to finalize the specifics of the outreach campaign, hopefully with feedback from the elected officials.
Community Outreach & Spreading the Word
The committee emphasized that previous DEC meetings failed to draw a crowd because they were poorly publicized, and brainstormed outreach strategies, including the following ideas:
• George Fiala offered printing services and space in The Red Hook Star-Revue.
• Handing out flyers block-by-block and door-to-door.
• Partnering with neighborhood groups to get the event publicized through their networks.
• Reaching out directly to local PTAs to engage parents whose children attend schools in the area.
• Leveraging the email lists and newsletters of local electeds and Community Board 6.
Town Hall Structure & Key Topics
The committee brainstormed the town hall agenda, which includes the following:
• A high-level presentation by DEC explaining what is soil vapor intrusion, the health impacts, and past investigation findings.
• A presentation from a local resident who has gone through the testing and mitigation process to describe what’s involved from the perspective of a resident.
• Be transparent and specific about what mitigation looks like (e.g., drilling in basements, time frames, etc.).
• Create a breakout session that includes a space for renters who want testing–tips for how to influence their landlord or management company to opt into testing.
• A clear, actionable guide on how to sign up for testing, what is involved in testing, and if needed, what’s involved in mitigation.
• Dedicated time for general audience questions.
• Set up a consultation table so residents can ask questions privately.
Venue & Format Decisions
• In-Person vs. Virtual: The committee discussed the idea of virtual/Zoom town halls vs in-person. The committee agreed that an in-person town hall is best, but for the moment is keeping open the possibility of one or more virtual sessions that might focus in on micro-areas of Gowanus where soil vapor intrusion is documented in multiple properties.
• Location: The committee agreed that the town hall should be held in the Gowanus neighborhood. While several schools were mentioned as possible venues, it was agreed the committee will look to the elected officials to help secure a space.