AROUND TOWN: Mayor Bacon to order air quality test in wake of toxic gas reports - MDJOnline.com

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AROUND TOWN: Mayor Bacon to order air quality test in wake of toxic gas reports - MDJOnline.com Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:56 PM PDT Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon rang Around Town on Monday to say he was ordering the city manager to begin an air quality test this week in the wake of reports that the area may have a higher than normal concentration of a toxic gas linked to cancer. Earlier this month, Georgia Health News released a report concerning ethylene oxide emissions in the area, a toxic gas which the company Sterigenics uses to sterilize medical equipment. Bacon emphasized that the Sterigenics plant is outside Smyrna's city limits. Even so, "We want to do our own air quality test. And I don't want this company to do an air quality test. That doesn't make any sense. We need to do our own air quality test, the city does. We're going to do it ASAP, and we're not going to wait around." Bacon said he has the support of Councilman Derek Norton and has already spoken to council members Tim Gould and Ron Fennel, among others. Bacon is retiring at the end of the year after serving as mayor since the 1980s. He suggested that some state officials were using the toxic gas issue for political reasons. For instance, state Rep. Erick Allen, D-Smyrna, held a town hall on the subject at Campbell Middle School on Tuesday night. Allen says he and other lawmakers would be in attendance, as would executives from Sterigenics to address concerns. Bacon said he was not involved in that town hall. "He's not contacted me, so I'm really not involved with Erick Allen at all. Period. You would think that Erick Allen would have contacted me immediately, but he has not. And I really don't appreciate it, but that's OK. You know, he's got to do his thing. I'm not doing it for any political reason. I'm going out of office in January, and I'm going to make sure the city is safe, and when I do turn it over to the next mayor, who will probably be Derek Norton, and he's on board with this too, (we want) to make sure our citizens are safe, regardless of whether this is in the city or in unincorporated Cobb County." In addition to conducting its own air quality analysis, Bacon said the city will work with County Chairman Mike Boyce to answer any uncertainties. "It's one of these things where we don't know if it's a cancer-causing issue or they need to be shut down or what is it doing to our quality of life," he said. "So I think just to err on the side of caution we need to be very proactive and forward with it, and let's find out what the heck is going on." KEEP COBB BEAUTIFUL: You need look no further than the long lines of cars snaking around the county fairgrounds this weekend to know the people of Cobb County are environmentally conscious. The traffic jam was generated by Keep Cobb Beautiful, which held a Household Hazardous Waste drop-off event Saturday. It's an annual opportunity for residents to practice good stewardship by safely disposing of hazardous items such as pesticides, flammables, chemicals, motor oil and paint. The vast queue of cars began on County Services Parkway and ran the length of Al Bishop Drive before motorists entered Jim Miller Park to snake around the parking lot two by two. This writer (the 1,409th vehicle, according to a volunteer holding a tally counter) pulled in line shortly before 11 a.m. and dropped off seven cans of paint 2 hours and 24 minutes later. Despite the long waits, most recyclers stuck with it, patiently inching up the line until it was their turn to unload. All in all, residents in more than 2,000 vehicles came to drop off hazardous waste in an environmentally-friendly manner, according to Kimberly White, executive director of KCB. That's more than double the number participating in last summer's HHW event. An event of this magnitude is not easy to put on. Fifty-three KCB staff and volunteers and 40 workers from MXI, the recycling vendor, were on hand. Police helped direct traffic. The estimated cost of running this event to KCB? $45,000. "It was a smooth day, other than the fact that some people had to wait," White said, adding the number of participants is a testament of the concern Cobb residents shows for their county. Keep an eye on the KCB website and in this newspaper for future recycling opportunities — paper shredding, electronics recycling, etc. But some advice, if you plan to participate: Go early to curb the wait. KCB staff and volunteers and workers from recycling company MXI unload residents' materials Saturday. Staff NO SOUP FOR YOU: This Saturday, Cobb County will host the first Cobb County International Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival's aim is to celebrate the diverse population of the county through food, arts and other vendors. While the Development Authority of Cobb County is known for handing out tax breaks to any developer who skips through its doors, its grants committee declined a request for funds from the festival organizers. The outstretched hand came in the form of a form letter signed by Commissioner Lisa Cupid. "This county has grown by almost 10 percent in the last decade and is increasingly more diverse," the letter reads. "This is a prime opportunity for us to showcase the beautiful tapestry that our diverse cultures weave in a language we can all understand — the love for food." The letter goes on to list a buffet of sponsorship levels ranging from the $250 supporting sponsor level, which gets your name on the festival's web page to the $15,000 presenting sponsor level. Development Authority member Donna Rowe said thanks but no thanks to the entreaty. "In doing this sponsorship, we're going to open Pandora's box to everyone else," Rowe said. "You've got the Jonquil Festival, you've got the East Cobber Festival, you've got Smoke on the Lake up in Acworth, you've got the Pig and Whatever in Kennesaw." For the record, Rowe was thinking of the Pig & Peaches BBQ Festival. Rowe added that she supports the festival's goal, but thinks organizers should go only after businesses for sponsorships. So sorry, Commissioner Cupid. Come back with a multi-million dollar company in need of a tax break and the Authority may be more sympathetic. On a related note, the Authority's recent approval of a $75,000 grant to help fund WellStar Kennestone Hospital's new $126 million emergency department continues to raise eyebrows. Letter to the Editor writer R.S. Pino asks, "The new emergency center at WellStar is certainly desirable, but I must ask 'Is WellStar a new business to Cobb, one that needs an incentive to locate here or DACC funding to expand … ?'" APPOINTMENTS: Cobb commissioners announced last week the appointment and re-appointment of members to two county advisory boards. Commissioner Bob Ott has re-appointed Ron Sifen to the Transit System Advisory Board, which advises county commissioners on public transit-related matters. The board is a 15-member body that has each county commissioner appointing two members whose terms run concurrently with and at the pleasure of the appointing commissioner's term. Each commissioner also has one additional appointment whose terms shall be two years. Sifen's term will expire in February 2021. Ott also appointed Frank Savini and Andy Smith to the same board. The two, whose appointments will expire Dec. 31, 2020, replace Mike McNabb and William Parker, respectively. Chairman Mike Boyce, meanwhile, announced the appointment of Steve Foster and the reappointment of Dennis Winslow, Richard Mohr, Valerie Carter and Mark Templeton to the Workforce Development Board. Their terms will expire June 30, 2022. The Workforce Development Board, according to county documents, was created to provide information and referral services for individuals who are unable to find employment. The body directs local workforce programs, designates training service providers, and utilizes federal funds. Members of the 19-member board are appointed by the chairman of the Board of Commissioners and serve a term of three years.

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