Update January 21, 2013
National Grid will be hosting a public meeting to review their draft Public Involvement Plan (PIP) in preparation for future cleanup actions at the Tidewater/National Grid Site in Pawtucket. The meeting will be Tuesday, January 29th at 6pm at the Francis Varieur Elementary School (486 Pleasant Street, Pawtucket).
Any interested members of the public can attend and submit comments before the meeting or within 14 days afterwards.
Official announcement from National Grid on DEM’s website
Background:
Residents petitioned for a PIP for this site in Spring 2012. Since then National Grid has conducted community interviews with residents, established enhanced communication methods to let residents know about any work being done at the site, and met with a group of concerned residents, parents of students at nearby schools, and EJLRI over concerns with earthwork being conducted on the part of the site with active electrical and gas sub-stations.
Residents were concerned that precautions were not being taken to adequately protect the neighborhood from potential dust and other airborne particles that might result from this earthwork and disturbance of soil. National Grid met the group’s demands including ensuring a benzene monitoring device was on-site at all times, and a fixed air monitoring station would be erected at the perimeter of the site very close to a row of homes.
Contact amelia.rose@ejlri.org or (401) 383-7441 if you’d like any further information.
Update June 6, 2012
Community Interviews on June 19th and 20th
National Grid will be hosting community interviews with any resident who has concerns regarding the cleanup process at the Tidewater Site off Pleasant Street in Pawtucket. This is part of the Public Involvement Process residents and the EJ League recently set into motion based on concerns from parents at the International Charter School, which sits directly across the street from the site.
The interviews will be held on June 19th and 20th, 2012 between the hours of 3pm-8pm at 175 Main Street, Pawtucket (the Blackstone Valley Visitors Center Theatre).
Sign up for a interview slot by emailing Michele Leone at National Grid at michele.leone@us.ngrid.com by June 14th .
Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island 
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