LaSalle residents affected by the Carus Chemical fire say although the company has done some good things like closing the Apollo Warehouse and talking to them directly, more still needs to be done. They continued to expressed their displeasure with the company during its second town hall meeting at LP High School last night. CEO Andy Johnston updates attendees about what Carus has been doing since the first town hall including answering questions posed. VP of Operations Chryss Crockett talked about how insurance has been handled and VP of Technology Rich Landtiser talked about how the company’s air quality is measured. Residents like Jamie Hicks still say the company still isn’t being truthful and told Crockett that he believes the company still doesn’t care enough to give truthful answers about what’s going on. He says without him pushing different issues, the town halls wouldn’t be happening.
Other residents questioned the company’s statement that the potassium permanganate that fell on their homes can’t ruin their homes and outdoor furniture. One woman showed pictures to Carus leadership of one of her chairs that she says got a hole in it from the compound. Landtiser said that compound wouldn’t have caused any damage, to which he got a spattering of laughs from residents affected by the fire.
Altought the Apollo Warehouse is retired, one resident asked about how much product is stored at the warehouse on Ottawa’s south side. VP of Communications Alan Gibbs says about 100,000 pounds of materials are stored. She was also concerned that there wasn’t a public emergency plan in case the building catches fire.
Johnston says the emergency plan can’t be released to the public because the company is a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and it could be a security risk if the information is released. He says the fire was a freak accident and the company is doing what it can when it comes to giving data.
He also says while residents are passionate about what they believe about Carus, the company will continue to help and earn the trust of those affected by the fire.
The CEO also says he’s not sure if there will be a third town hall. This town hall wasn’t as well attended as the first, but a good sized crowd did show up for a second time.