VBPS board approves resolution against radioactive waste

At the Sept. 23 regular meeting of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education, the board unanimously approved a resolution saying it disapproves of burial of radioactive waste in a Van Buren Township landfill near McBride Middle School.
The resolution was presented by School Superintendent Pete Kudlak and it reads:
———–
WHEREAS, the City of Belleville and the Van Buren Public Schools District borders Van Buren Township and is adjacent to the Wayne Disposal Inc. Hazardous Waste Landfill that is preparing to take 6,000 cubic yards of soil and concrete and 4,000 gallons of groundwater contaminated with elevated radiation from Niagara Falls Storage Site in Lewiston, New York, which from 1944 until 1952 served as a primary storage location for wastes and byproducts associated with uranium ore refining; and,
WHEREAS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on a multiyear project to remove the elevated radiation wastes from the Niagara site with 25 semi trailer loads a week of the radioactive waste shipped on local highways and roads, beginning in late August through January 2025; and
WHEREAS, the Conference of Western Wayne, comprised of eighteen member communities representing over 730,000 residents in passed a resolution in opposition to the proposed plan; and
WHEREAS, Belleville City officials nor Van Buren Public Schools were not notified of the upcoming transport of radioactive waste through and near our communities and public safety issues of this magnitude affect the entire region and surrounding communities in Michigan, putting our residents, motorists and infrastructure in harm’s way; and
WHEREAS, government officials and residents have no say in what occurs at Michigan Disposal, although it directly impacts the health and welfare of our communities; and
WHEREAS, questions about why the Wayne Disposal site was selected, why local officials and the public were not notified, what safety measures are being taken for the transport and disposal of materials, whether the waste will be tested before landfilling, what protocols and technologies are being used to safely manage and contain the waste, and what ongoing monitoring of materials all remain unanswered;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, on this day September 23, 2024, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education disapproves of Wayne Disposal Inc. Hazardous Waste Landfill receiving 6,000 cubic yards of soil and concrete and 4,000 gallons of groundwater contaminated with elevated radiation. We stand firm with our local government in stopping this particular waste from entering our community.
———–
Supt. Kudlak said a week or so earlier he got a call from Belleville Mayor Ken Voigt to see if the school district would pass a resolution against bringing in the radioactive waste, like a lot of other groups are doing.
Kudlak said the communities got a judge to issue an injunction for a short period of time and State Rep. Reggie Miller introduced a bill to keep the waste out of Michigan.
He said the school district could take a stance against bringing radioactive waste to this community. He then read the resolution and the board voted to approve it.
Jessica Peterson of Canton spoke from the audience saying she had been talking to Mayor Voigt earlier that day and he told her to come to the school board meeting. She has four children and one has an auto-immune disease. She said what is happening is devastating and it’s because it’s the cheapest place to bury the waste.
Peterson said she had lived in Belleville for many years and she encouraged the community to work together to fight this.
Reg Ion said from the audience that none of the politicians were opposed to it at the time it became a toxic waste landfill. He said it’s an election year so they are opposing it now, but these people were in office when the landfill changed and they didn’t oppose it then.
He told Peterson that Rep. Miller didn’t vote against the landfill when she was on the Van Buren Township board.
In other business at the 43-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved a large group of updated board policies as recommended by the Thrun law firm, recommended by the policy committee, and discussed at the last meeting;
• Approved the retirement of BHS social worker Kimberly Bargardi after 30 years of service as of Dec. 31; and approved the resignation of teacher Lamanzer Williams of Owen Intermediate School as of Sept. 11 after less than a year of service;
• Approved the non-instructional staff retirements of Lorrie Grzych after 24 years of service as a bus driver in the transportation department as of Oct. 1; and Diane Kiessel of BHS as of Oct. 31 after 41 years of service;
• Approved the resignation of Fidelia Johnson from the transportation department as of Sept. 9 after less than a year of service; and the termination of Melissa Meimaridis from food service as of Sept. 17 after four years of service;
• Approved the employment of Aislinn Basil as a paraprofessional at Rawsonville Elementary School as of Sept. 12;
• Heard Kathy Wasser of Van Buren Township ask the board to consider what the large classrooms of 29, 30, or 32 students is doing to hinder the students from getting a good education and to discourage teachers from pursuing their careers. She said she has lived in VBT for 52 years and she and her husband raised their children here and now their grandchildren are attending classes with 32 students. “Will people who are looking for a good school district for their children to attend come to ours?” she asked;
• Heard Reg Ion say that he’s had an issue over the pop machine at the high school for three years because there is no contract. Supt. Kudlak said he’d take care of it three years ago and he hasn’t. Ion said he is asking the board to stay on Kudlak and make sure a signed contract is in place; and
• Heard Ion say he wanted to show a picture from a football game to all the board members so he gave them his phone and they all looked and then he showed it to those in the audience who were interested. The picture showed the back of football player #11 who had a sign on his back that said: “You Slow AF.” He asked what kind of coaches allowed that? He said if people didn’t know what that meant, he’d tell them. No one asked. He said there is also vulgar language in music played at the games. “Is this acceptable?” he asked the board and president Pearce said, “That has been addressed,” without further comment. Ion said the board could solve the class size problem by closing the Schools of Choice program that supplies the “shady football program you’ve got.” He said professional and college sports don’t allow that. He added that the referee should have taken it off the player, but the picture shows the ref apparently fist-bumping the player.
Absent from the meeting was trustee Dionne Falconer.