By Brad McElhinney
Daily Mail Staff
Charleston Daily Mail, Monday, June 23, 1997
People who are curious about the FMC Corp.'s plans for its contaminated, abandoned site in South Charleston will have a chance to ask questions this week.
FMC plans a session to tell people about its plans for the former East Plant site across from South Charleston's mound.
The company intends to clean the abandoned site and develop the property. FMC says the land could become the home of retail stores, a warehouse or an ice rink.
FMC will work through the state's new "brownfields" program, which encourages voluntary cleanups by relieving companies of potential liability and regulatory punishment.
The community information session will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at South Charleston City Hall on Fourth Avenue and D Street.
Questions already have been coming into the telephone line FMC set up for the project, said Jim Bodamer, who is in charge of the project for the company.
"We've been receiving calls, maybe not as many as I had thought, but they're coming in frequently now," Bodamer said.
He expects more curious people to start asking questions since the company has announced its public information session.
Letters previewing the session went out to people who live near the site, local businesses, FMC employees and retirees and other potentially interested people.
Thursday's session will begin with a presentation by FMC and will be followed by a question-and-answer forum.
FMC's presentation will include the history and status of the site, information about environmental investigations and redevelopment efforts.
FMC officials also will discuss the company's application to the brownfields program, an overview of the next steps and an overview of FMC's community plan.
The company also plans to establish a public information repository for the site, which it will maintain throughout the process.
The repository will contain information about the site, including technical reports, conceptual drawings and state brownfields program information. It will include a copy of FMC's application to the brownfields program, community update letters and fact sheets.
As additional information about the site is developed, officials plan to update the repository.
The information will be located at the South Charleston Public Library, 312 Fourth Avenue.
FMC expects the repository will be established by Thursday. Copies of the information will be available for review at the session.
For questions about the project, call 744-5088.