Fact Sheet 2000-06
July 2000

Responsiveness Summary for the Installation Restoration Program Community Involvement Plan Update

This fact sheet answers questions about

  • The Community Involvement Plan Update
  • Responses to Comments on the draft Community Involvement Plan Update
  • Community Involvement Activities
  • Points of Contact

Words in italics appear in the glossary at the end of this fact sheet.

Introduction

The purpose of this Responsiveness Summary is to provide written responses to the comments received during the public comment period on the draft Community Involvement Plan (CIP) Update.

Overview

The draft CIP Update details the major areas of public concern and describes opportunities for community involvement in the Installation Restoration Program (IRP). The CIP goals are to:

  • Identify public concerns and interests regarding past, current and future IRP activities at Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR).
  • Respond to community concerns by conducting activities to inform and involve the public in decision-making and implementation of environmental cleanup initiatives.

Overview of Written Comments

A total of 27 comments were received during the public comment period (April 3 – May 2, 2000). Comments were received from:

Government organizations

  • Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)

Advisory Groups

  • Public Information Team (PIT) Members

Community Groups

  • Circle of Caring

The comments and responses that appear on this fact sheet have been grouped into four comment categories:

  • Comments specific to the structure of the IRP community advisory teams
  • Comments specific to site and plume depictions
  • Comments specific to community outreach concerns
  • Editorial comments

Community Involvement Plan Update Description and History

The first version of the CIP was released in May of 1991. Since then, it has been revised to continue identifying and addressing communication needs between the Upper Cape community and the IRP cleanup program at the MMR. The plan is intended to further enhance coordination and information exchanges among the community, the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) as the cleanup proceeds at MMR. The CIP provides an overall reference tool and plan for the public and government staff and meets the requirements for public involvement under state and federal regulations.

The CIP Update is based on previous plans, ongoing community involvement activities, and information gathered from recent personal interviews with community members interested in and/or involved with the IRP (e.g. public, media, elected officials, local business and industry, and government representatives). The most recent interviews were conducted during the fall of 1999. The comments received during the interviews have been analyzed and incorporated into the text of the draft CIP update. Also community involvement and public information activities will continue to be tailored to meet the needs identified by the community and the technical program.

A number of thoughtful ideas and suggestions about improving communications and outreach were received during the process of revising the CIP. The agencies along with the PIT, will continue to talk about ways to implement these ideas as well as how to improve community involvement generally.

Community Involvement

A public comment period on the CIP Update was held from April 3 to May 2, 2000. Several methods were used to make people aware of the opportunity to comment on the document:

  • A news release announcing the public comment period was issued on March 29, 2000.
  • The public comment period was announced in newspaper advertisements and published in the IRP monthly meeting flyer.
  • The public comment period was announced at team meetings. Also, the CIP Update was discussed at various team meetings.
  • Copies of the CIP Update were placed in local libraries and added to the web site.
     

Comments and Responses


Comments Specific to the Structure of IRP Teams

Several comments were received specific to the structure of the IRP teams. They were:

  • Modify the team chart on page 26 to reflect recent team changes.
  • Update the information listed to illustrate the current active and inactive teams.
  • Indicate the co-chairs of teams where applicable.

Response: Working with all the IRP advisory teams and taking into consideration public comments, a revised team chart has been developed for the final CIP.

The team information has been modified to reflect the most recent changes within the IRP, and indicates teams that have retired and those that are active.

Team co-chairs have been indicated where applicable.


Comments Specific to Sites and Plume Depictions

Comments were received on the IRP maps. Specifically those who commented were interested in:

  • Clarification on the Chemical Spill-19 (CS-19) plume and whether or not a map was needed for that plume.
  • The northern "source area" sites and whether or not those should appear on a map.
  • The definition of the word "plume" and the possibility of expanding that definition.

Response: It has been determined by consensus between IRP, EPA and MADEP that CS-19 is considered an IRP plume, a map will be added to the CIP illustrating it. In addition, throughout the CIP, the overall number of plumes will be modified from 14 to 15 to reflect this new information.

The northern "source area" sites also will be included on the map.

The definition of a plume was reviewed and it was determined that an additional description would be included in the final CIP update.


Comments Specific to Community Outreach Concerns

Community members expressed concerns on the potential risks associated with recreational use and subsistence fishing, hunting, and harvesting in communities around MMR. Also, it was noted that more emphasis needs to be given to how those groups receive information.

Response: Section 2.4 "Key Community Concerns" has been modified to note these issues. In addition, these comments will be further addressed in the communication and dialogue activities in the IRP.


Editorial Comments

During the public comment period, 14 "editorial" comments were received.

Response: Editorial comments were reviewed. Those comments did not change the substantive content of the document and were incorporated into the final CIP update.


Documents Available Locally

The final CIP Update and Responsiveness Summary have been added to the Administrative Record (AR) and are part of the Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) (also part of the AR). The public is invited to review the AR at the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) Office, located on the base at 322 East Inner Road. The office is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM — 4:30 PM. The AR also is available for review at the Falmouth Public Library, located at 123 Katharine Lee Bates Road. Call (508) 457-2555 for library hours. Information and technical documents also are available at the main libraries in Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich; at the USCG library on base; and on the MMR web site at http://www.mmr.org. The MMR web site also contains the administrative record online.

Locations of the Administrative Record:

IRP Office
322 E. Inner Road
Otis ANG Base, MA 02542
(508) 968-4670 ext. 4685

Falmouth Public Library
123 Katharine Lee Bates Road
Falmouth, MA 02540
(508) 457-2555

MMR web site
http://www.mmr.org/adminrec.htm

Locations of the Information Repositories:

Falmouth Public Library
123 Katharine Lee Bates Road
Falmouth, MA 02540
(508) 457-2555
U.S. Coast Guard Library
Building 5205, Ent Street
Otis ANG Base, MA 02542
(508) 968-6456
Jonathan Bourne Library
19 Sandwich Road
Bourne, MA 02532
(508) 759-0644
Mashpee Public Library
Steeple Street, Mashpee Commons
Mashpee, MA 02649
(508) 539-1435
Sandwich Public Library
142 Main Street
Sandwich, MA 02563
(508) 888-0625

For additional information, please contact:

Doug Karson
Community Involvement Specialist
HQ AFCEE/MMR
322 East Inner Road
Otis ANGB, MA 02542-5028
Phone: (508) 968-4678 ext. 2
FAX: (508) 968-4673
doug.karson@mmr.brooks.af.mil

Jim Murphy
Community Involvement Coordinator
USEPA New England
1 Congress St, Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
Phone: (617) 918-1028
FAX: (617) 918-1029
murphy.jim@epamail.gov

Ellie Grillo
Community Involvement Coordinator
MassDEP
20 Riverside Drive
Lakeville, MA 02346
Phone: (508) 946-2866
FAX: (508) 947-6557
Ellie.Grillo@state.ma.us


Glossary

Administrative Record (AR): a collection of documents generated during the investigation of the site which form the basis for selection of a remedial action and are placed in a central location for public review.

Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA): an agreement between USEPA and individual federal facilities that establishes a procedural and legal framework for investigating and remediating Superfund sites.

Installation Restoration Program (IRP): the U.S. Department of Defense program implemented at U.S. military bases to identify, investigate, and clean up contamination resulting from past operations.

Responsiveness Summary (RS): a document presenting formal comments received during the public comment period and responses to the comments.