Since I have yet to hear anything from David Dunn since starting this site, I began surfing the internet to see if he has ever considered Kleymeyer Park in the 6 years he has been working on this project. Surprisingly, he was approached about the location at the Parks Dept Board meeting ( the one that went from 6 pm to 12:30 am). When he was asked by Mrs. Martha Crosley about Kleymeyer Park, his answer was rather interesting.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:VsmpT-WsbZYJ:www.evansvillegov.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx%3Fdocumentid%3D8275+KleyMeyer+Park+Dump&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESigokCOXOpRgIpRcgeYQjVHyV0fSn_o_ckk5aSxAWN2GiETQsf5oOzxAlfQjYzzjyJAkmY0crzAbHhnZVxM-bI1MRWauHgWuPpP0hjyyddyaBu533joy3QKIm3L-ApuVKdo7wW6&sig=AHIEtbT1LHlso0gotDj9Bbo-2dCnTkRq-w
This is from pages 12 and 13...
Ms. Crosley asked if being by the Goebel Complex would mean that they could coordinate with Goebel for parking and concessions and that type of thing.
Mr. (Dunn) stated he assmned that would be possible. In their design, the concessions were m the center of each of the pods. The guests at their complex would have to walkover to the Goebel complex.
She asked if the design could be applied to other areas.
Dunn stated they looked at eight different areas around the community and the design worked anywhere that had roughly 60 — 75 acres.She asked if they had looked at Kleymeyer Park. Dunn explained briefly, but due to the conditions there, they didn’t study that park verylong.
Ms. Crosley asked what conditions.
Dunn responded the current conditions fi'om the old dump site.
Crosley stated there was a ball field there now and it was working fine. She suggested they could bridge the Greenway and Pigeon Creek and connect that to Garvin Park to allow some amenities that were already there to be utilized.
Dunn stated he would defer the question of whether it was working fine and whether it was a quality facility to Chris Rehn, who handled the City leagues.
Kleymeyer Park is brought back up by David Nicholson, former President of the Evansville Soccer Club on page 18...
One comment in regards to Kleymeyer Park. It was a dump and with all respect, it is a dump. The City Council looked at Kleymeyer Park for the soccer complex to be built and in the process,the Parks Department was installing a new scoreboard at Kleymeyer Park and the welder was welding it and it started on fire and bumed to the ground because of the methane gas.
Is this the reason why Dunn has refused to listen to me on Kleymeyer Park?
First of all, for those who don't know, Kleymeyer Park use to be an old landfill back when it was the First Ave Brick and Tile Co. Although I have no idea when the landfill was closed, I know it's been many years ago. Today, there is no signs whatsoever of the landfill. Currently on the land is a Pop Warner football field, 3 baseball fields, Bob Walter's Golf-N-Fun, and Bob Walter's driving range. There are no visible signs of garbage and there is no smell of garbage. In my opinion, the land has recovered quite nicely.
While I have never heard of the story about the welder burning the scoreboard down to the ground, I'm not sold on the methane gas (which is produced from decomposing landfill) being the reason for that. Aside from being non toxic, it would take a lot of methane gas to ignite like that. Furthermore, welding itself causes many more fires than methane gas.
It is nothing new for a baseball complex to be located on an old landfill. They have been sprouting up all over the country for many years now. Here is just one example...
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/11/575185/you-can-have-fun-with-a-landfill.html
Now, in case you're thinking, " Well I like the fields at Kleymeyer Park but I just think all that methane gas is going to be a burden," I would like for you to know that not only is the methane gas there an asset instead of a liability, but this project can also be an environmentally friendly green project as well.
Since methane gas from landfills emit an enormous amount of polluting greenhouse gases into the air each year, the EPA has decided to focus on reducing these gases by converting them into energy.
This link from the EPA will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about landfill gases and the benefits of this project.
http://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-info/index.html#a02
Note: LFG= LandFill Gas
The U.S. EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) is a voluntary assistance program that helps to reduce methane emissions from landfills by encouraging the recovery and use of landfill gas (LFG) as an energy resource. LMOP forms partnerships with communities, landfill owners, utilities, power marketers, states, project developers, tribes, and nonprofit organizations to overcome barriers to project development by helping them assess project feasibility, find financing, and market the benefits of project development to the community. EPA launched LMOP to encourage productive use of this resource as part of the United States' commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are the second-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 22 percent of these emissions in 2008. At the same time, methane emissions from landfills represent a lost opportunity to capture and use a significant energy resource. LFG is created as solid waste decomposes in a landfill. This gas consists of about 50 percent methane (the primary component of natural gas), about 50 percent carbon dioxide (CO2), and a small amount of non–methane organic compounds.
Instead of escaping into the air, LFG can be captured, converted, and used as an energy source. Using LFG helps to reduce odors and other hazards associated with LFG emissions, and it helps prevent methane from migrating into the atmosphere and contributing to local smog and global climate change.
LFG is extracted from landfills using a series of wells and a blower/flare (or vacuum) system. This system directs the collected gas to a central point where it can be processed and treated depending upon the ultimate use for the gas. From this point, the gas can be flared, used to generate electricity, replace fossil fuels in industrial and manufacturing operations, or upgraded to pipeline–quality gas where the gas may be used directly or processed into an alternative vehicle fuel.
EPA is interested in developing LFG energy for many reasons:
•Projects help destroy methane, a potent heat-trapping gas.
•Projects generate renewable energy and offset the use of non-renewable resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil.
•There are many cost–effective options for reducing methane emissions while generating energy.
•Projects help reduce local air pollution.
•Projects create jobs, revenues, and cost savings
By linking communities with innovative ways to deal with their LFG, LMOP helps communities enjoy increased environmental protection, better waste management, and responsible community planning. For example, the Ecology Club at Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, Missouri, came up with the idea to use gas from the nearby landfill to heat their school. The school paid $175,000 to run a 3,600–foot pipeline between the landfill and the school's two basement boilers. In turn, the landfill owner donated the methane to the school as a way of “giving back to the community.” The school anticipates that it will save $40,000 a year and recapture its investment within five years.
Clearly, the methane gas on the land is an ASSET NOT A LIABILITY. We have the opportunity to build a green project where we cut down on gases and find a source of electricity for our project. While we would have to invest some up front costs on the underground pipes and system (this won't disturb the ballfields) we should be able to recoup this invest within 5-10 years. Then, we would be making money, not losing money on this project!
Lastly, it has been mentioned that the hotel/motel tax should be spread around to all the parks such as Burdette and the 4-H Center. While this sounds good on paper, it is a completely bad idea. Why?
Because Kleymeyer Park hasn't been receiving its fair share of funds and neither has Pigeon Creek itself. As a result of years of neglect, Pigeon Creek itself needs to be cleaned up from toxins. Take a look at the different contaminents found in Pigeon Creek by the Indiana Dept of Health...
http://welbornfdn.org/2006%20Community%20Indicators%20Report%20-%20Natural%20Environment.pdf ( It's in a better graph form on their website than on my blog)
Selected Contaminants Found in Southwest Indiana
Waterways
Water Body-County-Potential Causes of Impairment
Hovey Lake Posey PCB’s
Ohio River Perry, Warrick, Vanderburgh, Posey PCB’s, dioxins, metals, mercury, bacteria
Patoka
Reservoir
Dubois Metals, mercury
Patoka River Dubois PCB’s, metals, mercury, lead,
bacteria
Patoka River Pike PCB’s, metals, mercury, sulfates
Patoka River Gibson PCB’s, metals, mercury, sulfates,
salts/TDS/chlorides
Pigeon Creek Vanderburgh PCB’s, metals, mercury,
pesticides, priority organics
Pigeon Creek-
Harper Ditch
Vanderburgh PCB’s, metals, mercury,
pesticides, priority organics,
salinity/TDS/chlorides
Pigeon Creek-
Kleymeyer Park
Vanderburgh PCB’s, metals, mercury,
pesticides, priority organics,
sulfates, salinity/TDS/chlorides,
bacteria
Wabash River Posey PCB’s, metals, mercury
Wabash River Gibson PCB’s, metals, mercury
White River, East Fork Dubois PCB’s, metals, lead
Indiana State Department of
Health. 2005 Fish Consumption Advisory.
Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation
Commission (ORSANCO).
Vanderburgh County Health
The amount of contaminents found in Pigeon Creek next to Kleymeyer Park by the Indiana Dept of Health is very disturbing to me, especially given the fact that I canoe through there all the time.
Before we worry about Burdette Park and the 4-H Center, we need to clean up Pigeon Creek first. And since we will already be working with the EPA on the landfill gas why don't we work with them on cleaning up Pigeon Creek? Kill two birds with one stone.
If we don't clean up this area now, it will only get worse and I believe it will get to the point where the EPA forces us to clean it up like they are with the sewers. We have the opportunity to avoid this by turning the ballfields project into a green project that will clean up the area, reduce gas emissions, and find another source of future revenue for the ballfields.
All we have to do is take a few lemons and make lemonade!
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