Mediator to help resolve plume problem

By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

Tim Rogers and other Salina officials eager to get contamination cleaned up at the former Schilling Air Force base are gearing to spend some time in Kansas City, Mo., later this summer.

Representatives of the Salina Public Entities will meet with a mediator to further negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice in an attempt to reach a settlement.

The public entities include the city of Salina, Salina Airport Authority, Salina School District and Kansas State University at Salina.

"We have agreed to the appointment of a mediator, as expected, to get the parties together and find common ground," said Tim Rogers, the airport authority's executive director, in a Wednesday morning report to the authority board.

The time and place for mediation wasn't announced.

"We will have time blocked out in increments of three days per scheduled mediation," Rogers said.

The public entities are in their 11th year working as a group to get the U.S. Department of Defense to pay to clean up pollutants it left behind during 24 years of operating the former Schilling Air Force Base.

A large plume of trichloroethylene -- a compound once widely used as an industrial solvent -- is in the groundwater and soil. During a time period of 20 years or more, tens of thousands of gallons of solvent were released into ditches surrounding the airport.

The plume is moving slowly toward city water wells.

The public entities have been working on a settlement agreement for longer than two years.

Rogers offered no prediction Wednesday on how long a settlement agreement will take.

But once an agreement is reached, the U.S. District Court approves a consent decree and money becomes available, Rogers said, "we expect the cleanup to begin very soon. We're anxious to get it going."

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by email at tunruh@salina.com.

Tony's Kansas City: MUST READ!!! GROUNDBREAKING EXPOSÉ UNCOVERS ...

"Given that Kansas City International Airport is roughly equivalent to St. Louis in cargo volumes (having led St. Louis until 2009), is further from Chicago in terms of offering a discrete alternative and has always been perceived by the air cargo industry as much more cargo-friendly, folks in the western half of the state should be infuriated at statewide tax dollars being directed at St. Louis . . . Not that Kansas City should be given another $400 million but rather this idea is a non-starter on both sides of the state."

Typical. The elected officials, and beauracrats in Kansas City never understand that when St. Louis takes from the State Treasury, without reducing other appropriations they receive, St. Louis is getting a massive subsidy mostly paid for by KC. No wonder we can't compete with Kansas. And the Jeff City folks know they can count on KC to just bend over. Thanks Jolie Justus, Victor C, Mike Talboy, Janson Kander and all you other worthless representatives.

11:04 well said: As with all of the previous Aviation Directors they're more bold, lazy and arrogant as time goes on. They treat most people like serfs, lie to the Council and the Manager and will do anything to keep their Council "protector" (previously Skaggs now Johnson) well traveled and rewarded with perks. Trips to Europe and Asia are very common. Better to have an expensive expansion plan that taxpayers will refuse to fund and position it as "crucial" for the future viability of the airport. Then, the private takeover entity is an angel. "We can't thank you enough for taking this stone-of-an-airport off of our necks and tax rolls, and keeping it open for us. You have saved air travel and air cargo in Kansas City" they will say.

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