September 2025 -Monthly Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. We will meet in person at St. Louis City Hall on Mill Street. For those unable to attend in person, please join the meeting via Zoom (Zoom sign-in directions at bottom of the agenda).
1. Additions to agenda
2. Approval of August minutes
3. Treasurer’s report – Gary Smith
4. Correspondence and Communication - Brittany Fremion
· The CAG received interim reports on May 30 and July 10, 2025, for our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for historical records related to radioactive waste at the former plant site (FPS) (submitted in October 2024). The request is still in progress.
· The CAG awaits a response to our letter to the State Land Bank requesting their position on possible buried radioactive materials on the plant site (sent June 2025).
· CAG leadership reviewed the draft Velsicol Corp. Superfund Site Reuse Summary Report to provide feedback on the community comments section, which was based upon a meeting with SKEO and the State Land Bank in late 2023. We shared comments on the draft with EPA on Friday, August 29th. We remain discouraged by the emphasis on using the FPS as a new solar farm despite robust ideas from community members.
· The CAG executive committee and SKEO consultants met on August 22nd to discuss how to proceed with technical reviews of downstream remedial work in OU3 and OU4. SKEO is currently contracted as consultants for the CAG via EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program.
· Following the meeting with SKEO, the executive committee met separately to discuss how to proceed with TASC and Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) support.
· CAG officers met with prospective technical advisors (TAs) on Wednesday, August 27th.
· EPA asked the CAG to determine which funding source for technical support to proceed with for each Superfund Site by September 5th — more later, under Technical Advisor/TASC Report.
· The CAG agreed to fund an adaptation of the PBB State of the Science article (June 2025) in the Science Journal for Kids. The total cost to adapt, translate the article into Spanish, and create companion curriculum is approximately $2,500, which the CAG will fund using its own money (not federal dollars).
· Doug Brecht shared regional and national news reports related to an upcoming EGLE conference on environmental justice, opportunities to engage with state and federal representatives, forever chemicals, and CAFOs.
· Update on website traffic and wikipedia question- Ed Lorenz
5. EGLE Report - Erik Martinson, Project Manager
· Aging fish study (paused by DGVBW installation)
6. EPA Community Involvement - Diane Russell, EPA coordinator
7. EPA Report: Velsicol Burn Pit Site (VBP) – Anna Nguyen, EPA RPM, Jacobs (Site Team)
• OU1 ISTT Operations
• Ephemeral Channel Sampling West of VBP (ditch sampling)
8. EPA Report: Velsicol Former Plant Site (FPS) - Jennifer Knoepfle, EPA RPM, AECOM and Spicer Group, and Army Corps of Engineers (Site Team)
·o Downgradient Vertical Barrier Wall (DGVBW)
o Upgradient Vertical Barrier Wall Repair (UGVBW)
o PSA 3 (ISCO)
o Site-wide PFAS Groundwater Sampling
· OU3 & OU4 (downstream)
o NEBA
· Final Designs
· Site Reuse/Redevelopment
9. Technical Advisor/TASC Report - Gary Smith
· TASC Report (OU3 and OU4; SKEO)
· TAG funding and new TAs (FPS and VBP; TriTerra)
10. Ongoing Business
· PBB Leadership Team update – Jane Jelenek, Norm Keon, Ed Lorenz, Brittany Fremion
· CAG elections will take place this fall. Nominations for Chairperson, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and three Executive Committee positions will be collected in November and voting will commence. Votes will be collected leading up to the December meeting and announced that evening. Please send your nominations for these leadership positions and provide short explanations for why you support the candidate(s) to Secretary Jane Jelenek (jelenekjane@gmail.com).
11. New Business
12. Adjournment - Next meeting, October 15, 2025, 7:00 p.m.
September Zoom Meeting Invitation
*Zoom meetings are primarily for streaming purposes. Doug Brecht, CAG Zoom czar, will do his best to monitor the chat and look for raised hands so remote participants can ask questions/lend insights. Please note that the meeting ID and password change each month.
Topic: Sept. 2025 Task Force/CAG Gen. Mem. Meeting
Time: Sep 17, 2025 07:00 PM America/Detroit
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81501617039?pwd=GddPBf6TKabRLdAMoRZj6GEFdXwX9O.1
Meeting ID: 815 0161 7039
Passcode: 581744