This letter is in response to the article titled "DEP, EPA Reps Expected To Meet With Milltowners" that appeared in the Feb. 28 issue of the Sentinel.

The Milltowners for a Sensible Ford Avenue Redevelopment, in conjunction with its environmental advisor, the Edison Wetlands Association (EWA), according to the article, invited the public to a meeting that was "aimed at answering questions regarding the Ford Avenue redevelopment project, and how long-standing contamination on the oldMichelin tire factory site will be handled."

The Milltown Ford Avenue Redevelopment Agency fully supports the right of any individuals or groups to express their views and meet with any agency involved in the process. That is not the issue or reason for this response.

Over the past sixplus years, the agency has spent an inordinate amount of time clarifying its position as to all aspects of the Ford Avenue project. This is what is troubling, not the fact that a public forum has been scheduled.

As a result, the statements in the Feb. 28 article cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. These comments are either inconsistent with earlier statements or positions of the individual quoted or are not borne out by any scientific data to support the conclusions reached.

The agency has constantly gone out of its way at every meeting to make the public aware of its actions and to present factual updates on the environmental work being performed at the site from both the state and federal perspective. In addition, the public can access information on the Internet at www.MilltownVoice.com or www.MilltownFordAvenue.com and read up-to-date factual reports from the agency's environmental expert. They highlight the aggressive steps already taken to identify the level of contamination, reported by the triad group - the local agency, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - as being minimal in more than 85 percent of the site.

The real issue is not being raised in the article. It is not "capping" of the site or the host of other "straw-man issues" raised by the Milltown group over the past six years. It has stated publicly that it does not want residential development at the site because, as a leader of the group stated at an agency meeting, he wasn't against low-income people but the problems they represent (from the minutes of agency meeting dated Sept. 18, 2008). This statement speaks volumes regarding the efforts by this group to undermine the agency's commitment to clean up the site and restore it back as a productive and aesthetically acceptable part of the borough's landscape.

I am troubled by the misleading comments reported in the article and the fact that no one from the agency or its environmental experts was contacted to respond or comment before going to press.

A comment attributed to David Wheeler of the EWA - "According to Wheeler, instances of capping throughout the state have resulted in toxic chemicals and vapors seeping through the floor of homes" - is not supported by any credible evidence. I challenge Mr. Wheeler to come forth with the backup data from the files at the DEP to substantiate his claim. I invite Mr. Wheeler to come to the agency's meeting and present that backup data so we can have our environmental experts investigate his claims.

The statements of Richard Chapin, an engineer providing technical assistance to theMilltowners' group under the auspices of the EWA, are contrary to the findings and recommendation of the triad group at their meeting of Nov. 2, 2006, and contained in the minutes of that meeting. It should be noted that Mr. Chapin actively participated in that meeting, where under the caption of "Section 2. Remediation and Capping Plan: Entire MIA" is the following statement: "Conceptually, the capping plan presented met the approval of all attendees." The meeting minutes also contain a figure that presents very specific details of the proposed capping plan for the site. More detailed engineering plans pertaining to the capping will be contained in the proposed Remedial Action Work (RAW) plan to be prepared once final Planning Board approval is obtained for the project.

At the triad meeting, Mr. Chapin clearly approved of capping of the site. At the above meeting, at no time did he object to the content of the minutes regarding the capping issue, even after a draft of the minutes was provided to him for comment before final release of the minutes.

In summary, all the stakeholders involved in the Ford Avenue Project, which includes the DEP, the EPA and Mr. Chapin, have agreed that "engineering and institutional controls" (i.e., capping) is the recommended remedial option for addressing environmental contamination at the site. The agency has been advised by its environmental expert that remediation of 90 percent of brownfields sites in New Jersey employ the capping technology.

With respect to Mill Pond, the redevelopment agency has obtained funds from the DEP for developing a work plan to investigate the pond. In fact the case team, including Mr. Chapin, had meetings, including a comprehensive field investigation of the pond and its tributaries, toward developing such a work plan. Upon the DEP's approval of the work plan, sampling of the Mill Pond is targeted to commence in the spring.

Anthony J. Zarillo Sr. is chairman, Milltown Ford Avenue Redevelopment Agency