Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 2-14-17

Mosaic Must Continue To Provide The Community With Answers, Actions
TAMPA -- The fear of the unknown is real and that is especially true when what is unknown could affect the health and safety of your family.
The citizens of Polk and Hillsborough Counties ex- perienced this firsthand in September when a sink- hole opened up under a gypsum stack releasing millions of gallons of un- known contaminants into the Floridian aquifer.
It took weeks for infor- mation about the sinkhole to reach us and, in the ab- sence of communication from the county or state, rumors ran rampant. Peo- ple were afraid of what the future might bring.
Like many of you, I heard tales about wide- spread radiation, contam- inated water, sick children and pets, and potential of other sinkholes opening up across the area. It’s been difficult to separate the facts from fiction. At the top of everyone’s mind were fears that the sink- hole incident might create long-term health and safety effects for our com- munity.
Recently, all that changed when the Mosaic hosted a town hall meeting in Lithia at the Welcome Baptist Church. Represen- tatives from Mosaic were there to speak with the community one on one and share updates and in- formation on their efforts related to the sinkhole. We heard directly about ongo- ing water testing and mon- itoring programs, bottled water services that were provided to residents, along with remediation ef- forts at the sinkhole site.
We were informed that all contaminated water re- leased as a result of the sinkhole has been con- tained to Mosaic’s prop- erty and has not drained into our drinking water.
In fact, Mosaic has been proactively testing the quality of our water since the sinkhole occurred to ensure it is safe to drink and remains unaffected. To date, Mosaic has pro- vided free water testing of more than 1,200 private wells, all of which con- firmed that our drinking water has not been con- taminated.
Hillsborough County officials have done their
own water testing that has further confirmed that the area’s water is safe.
We also heard about the bottled water service that Mosaic has been pro- viding to the residents within four miles of the New Wales facility while they have been waiting to have their wells tested. They have even been pro- viding water to the fami- lies whose drinking water tests showed abnormali- ties that are not associated at all with the sinkhole.
All of this information was a welcome relief to me - and surely for others in the community as well. While there has certainly been a lot of misinforma- tion spread far and wide by people from outside the community, the truth re- mains the same - Mosaic and the county officials from both Hillsborough and Polk seem firmly com- mitted to keeping the water safe. Rest assured, the citizens intend to hold them accountable to that commitment.
Mosaic has attempted to take accountability for its actions and come into the community to look us directly in the eyes and tell us exactly what they are doing to make things right. That’s not something you always see happen in poor rural communities. Be- cause of the unknown in situations like this, trans- parency is very important and Mosaic has been in the community available to provide information and to answer questions.
As we heard at the meeting, Mosaic has been communicating directly with the residents sur- rounding the New Wales facility by mail, as well as posting regular updates both on their website and social media. I encourage Mosaic to continue to make the community aware of the safe water conditions; to continue its bottled water service, for those that may need it, until water testing is com- plete; and to continue to provide information re- garding the incident and actions that are being taken to resolve the issue. This type of commitment can go a long way to mak- ing our community feel more at ease.
ROBIN LOCKETT
Local
Two Local Women Honored With Place On Diversity Wall Of Fame
From left, Tony Garcia, III, accepting the award on behalf of his father, Tony Garcia, Jr.; Doretha Edgecomb and Patsy Sanchez were honored at the Florida State Fair Authority s Di- versity Community Leaders Wall of Fame ceremony on Saturday, February 11.
Doretha Edgecomb, a Tampa native who has de- voted the past 52 years to a career in education in Hills- borough County, and Patsy Sanchez, director of diver- sity and inclusion for the University of South Florida System, were recognized at a ceremony Saturday by the Florida State Fair Authority for their commitment to ex- cellence and their contribu- tions to the rich heritage and
culture of both Tampa and Florida.
The Fair’s Diversity Com- mittee also honored two indi- viduals posthumously. The first, Perry Curtis Harvey, Jr., was a top union official on Tampa's docks and the first African-American elected to the Tampa City Council. Tony Garcia is the Fair’s other historic honoree. Garcia was Tampa’s Mr. USO for 40 years, serving
personnel from Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base, Naval Reserve unit and mili- tary visitors.
Following the program at the Frontier Steakhouse on the Waterfront on the Florida State Fairgrounds, the 2017 Wall of Fame highlighting the honorees names and ac- complishments was unveiled. The Wall will be on display outside of the restaurant for the remainder of the Fair.
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017