Titan Cement Meeting in Hamstead
I want to draw special attention to the article Catherine Welch, news director of WHQR, recently posted on the news wire: “Titan Cement Meeting in Hamstead”.
Titan Cement is being wooed by New Hanover County Commisioners to build a giant cement plant in Castle Hayne. While new industry and jobs are good for the community, a cement plant is an industry that emits large amounts of hazardous waste including mercury, chromium, particulate matter, hydrochloric acid, and more into our air and water and that’s really bad.
To learn more about what Titan Cement is all about see the website stoptitan.org or join fellow community members at the Town Hall meeting tonight.
Map to Community Building in Hampstead
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Is it possible that our community is unaware of what is going on, or are we just surrounded by conservative sheep who are so content with there lives that taking an active role in their future and their children’s future is just too much trouble? As of this morning, there are 499 names on the StopTitan.org petition. Really? Maybe the commissioners and Titan picked the right place after all. I’d like to think that people still haven’t heard about what is being fed to them by the NH County Rubber Stamp Commission, and that when they finally do, the petition will have 100,000 names on it. Do we need billboards and TV commercials?
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I went last night (and added the photo above). Well attended. Well covered (WHQR, WSN, WECT, others). It was an especially good presentation of the “Issues” — the benefits that have been described by Titan and its supporters and how plausible they really are.
Also seemed to be a lot of interest in Dr. Horger’s particular angle as a supporter of Stop Titan, which is the resonance of all this for people concerned with child development, with autism and new studies that empirically link it with mercury from heavy industry. Horger was quoted in Peter Biello’s piece on the radio this morning.
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In reply to JP, I would like to think that many people do not know about this…or what they do know is the little bit that, so far, has been in the newspaper. Telling people that – this great cement company is coming with 160 jobs paying double the current wage – is not exactly a bad thing to the average citizen. That’s why we must be advocates & tell them what’s wrong with this picture.
I’d like to suggest that we organize a demonstration, perhaps at the corner of Holly Shelter & N. College or downtown. Or how about phone call parties, where we call folks & tell them what’s not so great about a cement plant. Or put up signs, bumper stickers. I’ve been going door to door, but that doesn’t reach a huge amount of people.
We cannot afford to let time slip away.
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For anyone who wants to make direct calls or send their own e-mails:
Chairman Greer 619-7879 (Cell)
Vice-Chairman Caster 452-1282 (H)
Commissioner Davis 763-6249 (W)
Commissioner Kopp 431-7120 (Cell)
Commissioner Pritchett 791-2827 (H)
(The following officials were copied on Bill Caster’s recent response to the form e-mails from the Stoptitan.org site. Based on Mr. Caster’s response, it doesn’t appear that he is willing to admit he made a mistake.)
Davis, Ted (TDavis@nhcgov.com)
Greer, Bobby (rgreer@nhcgov.com)
Kopp, Bill (BKopp@nhcgov.com)
Pritchett, Nancy (NPritchett@nhcgov.com)
Shell, Bruce (BShell@nhcgov.com)
Huffman, Sharon (SHuffman@nhcgov.com)
Burpeau, Kemp (KBurpeau@nhcgov.com)
Copley, Wanda (WCopley@nhcgov.com)
Schult, Sheila (SSchult@nhcgov.com)
bcaster@nhcgov.com
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New Hanover County Commissioners are holding another public meeting on the matter at its June 2nd meeting. Cape Fear River Watch says Titan execs will be there as well.
Here’s a link to the agenda:
http://laserfiche.nhcgov.com/weblink7/DocView.aspx?id=212143&dbid=0
The meeting starts at 6pm in the old courthouse building downtown.
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The Stop Titan website has some additional info as well:
June 2nd Commissioners Meeting
Calendar
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