Eureka Reporter - 02/09/2006
Another Local Group Decries Toxins and Big Boxes
by Wendy Butler
When Security National Senior Vice President Brian Morrissey was still
employed by Union Pacific Railroad Co. as its real estate general director,
his company worked with developers on cleanup of three major pieces of
property.
“In each of these cases they are almost identical to the type
of cleanup and the type of project we’re talking about on the Eureka ‘Balloon
Track,’” he said.
His response was sparked by a comment made
by Larry Evans, volunteer and member of Democracy Unlimited.
The Eureka resident sent a news release to media Wednesday on behalf
of his organization and Local Solutions and Healthy Humboldt Coalition.
The groups have “joined together” to urge local residents
to attend the Eureka City Council’s adjourned council meeting
today at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.
On Tuesday, Security National presented a petition to the council
for it to authorize the company to submit a rezoning application
to accommodate its plans to construct its mixed-use Marina Center
project on the Eureka Rail Yard or “Balloon Track,” which
it is in the process of purchasing from Union Pacific.
The Council Chambers were full and people waited in the hallway to speak
on the issue. Council voted to continue the meeting today.
During an interview, Evans said that when Morrissey was with Union
Pacific the company had a history of doing “full cleanups” of
its contaminated parcels.
Evans’ news release demands that Union Pacific be held responsible
for a “100 percent cleanup” of the rail yard, located
between Waterfront Drive and Washington Street.
The news release also included a plea for local residents to urge
council to vote against big box development, referring to SN’s
plans to put a Home Depot on the Balloon Track.
The cleanup demand pales somewhat in comparison to another issued a
week ago by another local group.
Nonprofit organization Humboldt Baykeeper issued a notice of intent
to sue Union Pacific over what the group claims are violations of federal
Clean Water Act and other state and federal laws on the 29.45-acre parcel.
The site contains toxic contaminants, which include chromium, oil and
gasoline, as well as lead.
Morrissey previously said that to his knowledge Union Pacific has “fully
complied” with rules and regulations for monitoring and cleanup.
As part of its purchase arrangements with Union Pacific, SN has agreed
to assume the responsibility for the remainder of the cleanup necessary
for it to construct a Marina Center.
Morrissey said that during his tenure with Union Pacific, partial
cleanup and capping was utilized by developers of three Union Pacific
sites — Salt
Lake City Gateway Project, the Sacramento Rail Yard and Victory Center
in Dallas.
“All of those projects were my projects,” he said. “In
all three of those cases, the developer cleaned (and) we made sure we
understood how (and) where and made sure it didn’t adversely
impact the railroad.”
SN will fully clean some parts of the site and cap some other areas,
Morrissey said.
He said that when he was on Union Pacific’s staff, one of
the sites that his company monitored was the Balloon Track.
He added that he had a full staff that took care of that and Eureka “didn’t
hit my radar screen very often.”
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