Will Council Launch ‘Toxic Neighbors’ Investigation?

Barron Park residents who have been fighting neighbor CPI over a series of toxic releases may tonight notch a small victory, if the City Council decides to follow City staff’s recommendation and open an investigation in CPI’s plating shop.

Concerned residents and representatives from CPI , when CPI presented a lengthy defense of their safety procedures and touted their longstanding role as a local job-creator.

Dozens of residents, most of whom live within a few hundred feet of CPI’s campus, insisted, however, that CPI amortize its plating shop operations due to the use of highly toxic substances such as potassium cyanide and nitric acid, both of which .

Tonight, Council will decide whether to spend $35,000 on a study digging into past reports and current best practices at CPI’s plating shop as well as technical support information related to zoning, amortization and hazardous materials issues. City staff would also look into potential amendments to the Zoning and Fire codes, if appropriate.

Council Member Pat Burt first proposed the study the last time this issues appeared on the Council docket, and the motion was unanimously approved by other council members, with Mayor Yiaway Yeh absent.

“Zoning was created specifically to prevent this kind of thing from occurring,” said Council Member Gail Price at the time, referring to the gas releases and chemical spills.

Council meets tonight in closed session at 5:30 p.m. to work on labor negotiations, then opens to the public.