Uncontained concernNearby residents worry about plan to stack containers By Warren Wise (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Mic Smith Rahim Karriem, president of the Union Heights Community Council in North Charleston, talks about the proposal that would allow containers to be stacked five high at the former Macalloy site. 
Mic Smith Residents of Union Heights are concerned about the effects of stacking containers five high on the former Superfund cleanup site, much like these on a site off Spruill Avenue. 
The Post and Courier The Macalloy site was an industrial plant so dirty it was closed and finally cleaned up by the government, with the remaining pollution capped to protect the environment. Now developers of the former Superfund site on Pittsburg Avenue want North Charleston to approve a plan that would allow them to stack containers as high as 45 feet. Residents said that's dangerous, too. They are concerned about the noise and visual blight of all those containers, along with the weight breaking through the environmental cap. "We don't want to see containers stacked five-high," said Herbert Fraser-Rahim, a member of the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities that includes several neighborhoods — Union Heights, Howard Heights and Windsor Place — abutting the 135-acre, former hexavalent chromium-contaminated industrial site. Fraser-Rahim, a civil engineer who is helping the alliance with environmental issues, said they want more information from the property's owners, Shipyard Creek Associates, about the effect of large containers on the environmental cap placed on the property to contain whatever pollution was not cleaned up. They also want information on stormwater runoff and on-site monitoring wells. "We want to see the data coming from the monitoring wells on a regular basis," said Fraser-Rahim, imam of Al-Jami Ar-Rasheed mosque in Union Heights. The alliance also wants to know what the noise levels will be from so many containers being stacked nearby and is worried that violent winds could turn empty containers into missiles. "If they can give us information showing us that we are not being hurt by their containers being there, then maybe we can work something out," Union Heights Community Council president Rahim Karriem said. "We want to keep our community as environmentally safe as we can." Stuart Coleman of Clement, Crawford & Thornhill Inc., of which developer Robert L. Clement III is a partner and part owner of Shipyard Creek Associates, said residents' concerns about the weight of the cargo containers possibly breaking the environmental cap on the property are unfounded. "As far as the pressure of the containers, we have done studies and it has come back that it would not have an effect," Coleman said. He said the company will set up a meeting between community members and someone from the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss all concerns. The Macalloy site, which has an industrial past that dates back to at least 1941, accumulated more than 6,000 violations of the Clean Water Act over the years. The hulking plant that Macalloy Corp. and other companies operated on the waterfront property made an alloy called ferrochromium, which is used to produce a high-quality form of stainless steel. A by-product of that process and a suspected cancer-causing agent, hexavalent chromium, was found in the soil around the factory. The plant was shut down in the late 1990s and later demolished. In 2000, the property was classified as a federal Superfund site, which provided for an accelerated study and cleanup of contamination. The property underwent a $9.5 million cleanup led by the EPA. That cleanup ended in November 2006. The city has delayed any action on the request until residents meet with developers and an EPA official, Planning Director Bill Gore said. Reach Warren Wise at 745-5850 or wwise@postand courier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 18 comment(s)
Posted by Early on June 24, 2008 at 7:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Being a Port city makes for an ugly city. The trucks that drive like maniacs up and down 526 and 26, the pollution from the ships, the nasty working areas and storage areas. We would be better off without them around.
I share the concerns of these residents but doubt little will be done. Too much hand greasing goes on with the SPA.
Posted by sbs920 on June 24, 2008 at 8:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you've ever seen the area at the end of Pittsburgh Ave. you would understand better. Its horrible! Containers would actually look better than what is there now.
Maybe Rahim can focus his efforts on the high crime and drug activity in the Union Heights area ! Hmmmmmmmm. . .
Another Dot "Squad" Scott wannabe. . .
Posted by ptmama73 on June 24, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That is not a pretty area BUT it is their home and improvements are slowly being made. I would not want to see all those containers blighting the skyline. I also question how stable these containers would be stacked 5 high. We are in a hurricane zone and are prone to tremors due to the fault line through Summerville.
Early is right though, the one with the most money gets what it wants.
Posted by RTC on June 24, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The SPA doesn't have any say in this. These are all private companies.
No, the containers should not be stored there either.
Posted by drp7773 on June 24, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So now we stick it to the business's as often as we can with new tax hikes, and these same business's employ the people that live in these areas. They have to watch ever penny to survive be it stack an extra trailer because of room restraints. Business is bad enough in SC and the unemployment rates are rising everyday, Rahim and his cronies need to worry about the criminal acts that are killing their home areas and back off the business's that are trying to keep North Charleston (Charleston) alive.and lets not forget the high high taxes that these business's pay also are needed to pay for all the programs that help the poor and mmmm abused citizens of this area. And as far as the ports, any major city on the coast would love to have this port with all that comes with it, all the jobs,also the truckers that come in and out of this area the money they spend, the money that is spent on all the equipment that it takes to run a port....We already lost all the military money when they shut all the bases down do we really want to lose a port or any new business that wants to grace this state doorways.
Posted by common_sense on June 24, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If the area is a brownfield & the remaining pollution is "capped", then why not utilize the area for container storage? At least the area would be generating tax revenue, instead of going unused.
I'm just sayin...
Posted by JohnS on June 24, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Residents should get their hearing checked. People who work near heavy equipment have a history of hearing loss. If a resident is close by they may experience the same thing.
Posted by lyfe1999 on June 24, 2008 at 2:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Anyone who has a problem with this is insensitive. Would you want this in your community? And for the fellow who says they should focus on crime- read the news- these are the same guys who developed project CPAD. They patrol the community and root out the drug dealers and such. They are real men tackling a myriad of issues to increase the quality of life in their community. They should be commended not offended.
Posted by Girleygirl on June 24, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
But the port provides so many jobs for everyone. If we had no port in Charleston just imagine how many people would be unemployed. Local business would charge folks an arm and a leg for simple things. The neighborhood needs to be cleaned up but I would dare not say we do not need the port.
Posted by lloyd007 on June 24, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
WE DON'T WANT THIS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.WHY NOT MT.PLEASENT,
PARK CIRCLE,OR BETTER YET DANIEL ISLAND.
Posted by zoomru on June 24, 2008 at 4:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well...well...well,
Sounds like a job for one of those plasma trash machines that will clean up this property. What Idiots.....
www.startech.net
What a blatant example of STUPIDITY!!!!!!
Posted by Siri on June 24, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My husband provides for his family very nicely working with containers. His yard stacks 4 high and in almost 13 years we have been together, they have never had a container blow over. Having this yard in that location would be beneficial to that area. Any business bringing money to that area would be better than nothing.
IF YOU GOT IT A TRUCK BROUGHT IT!!
Posted by bkeelin on June 24, 2008 at 6:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Siri,
The money doesn't stay in that area it goes into the pockets of people who live a long way away from that area. All they will do is come in and stack their containers, get their paychecks and drive back to their homes. I'll bet most people who work at these storage conatiner places don't live anywhere near where they are located at, and I'll bet they don't spend any money in any of the small mom and pop owned businesses in the area. The profits from the gas stations in the area are sent to people outside the area to spend. People just want to use these places as a dumping ground to store the unsightly containers. They do need to be stored somewhere but why force the poor to suffer the brunt while others reap the benefits. I'll bet if they only hired people from those neighborhoods to work there and payed them comparable wages the neighborhoods would be a little more willing to work with them, but we all know that will never happen. Dump on the poor of our community, what a poor demonstration of taking care of the least of these.
Posted by rollo on June 24, 2008 at 8:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If Macalloy didn't kill them (neighbors) I doubt empty containers will.
These containers are potential resources. If the shipping companies aren't interested in them, they could be used as storage, or even as housing! There must be plenty of recyclable materials in these things.
Posted by hollyman on June 24, 2008 at 9:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well said, drp7773! True, I don't live anywhere near the area in question, but I am just a little tired of folks screaming and yelling against any kind of business. These businesses generate tax revenue, which helps pay the welfare a lot of these folks enjoy. We are on the verge of losing the port to Jasper County because of this very kind of thinking. Sure, containers are ugly, but they create income. Westvaco stinks, but it produces income. I grew up on a hog farm, which stinks to high heaven sometimes, but it provided a good living. Chew on this: What if we bought only American-made products? If I were a betting man, I would bet that a high percentage of those crying are driving foreign cars and over ninety percent of the items in their homes are made in China.
Posted by Thomas1776 on June 24, 2008 at 9:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All the pollution in Charleston is making Charleston a dirty air to breath in.
But who cares. Each elected leader's interest are more important than voters. Money rules them. But you suffer and eventually die because of, in part, THEM.
Posted by burton on June 25, 2008 at 12:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For all the folks taking about Rahim Karim, the next time we have a CPAD patrol you are more than welcomed to join us. Let's see if you have the guts to walk the steets with us instead of mouthing off on this thread. We can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. We are fighting this issue and many others while also addressing the socioeconomic issues in our communities. You won't find these containers in Mt. Pleasant or on the Battery. You won't find McAlloy in Mt. Pleasant or on the Battery. Wonder why? Well, I think we all know the answer to that one!!
Posted by trod1 on June 25, 2008 at 12:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Early this was a port city long before it was any other kind of city to anyone.soon as someone says container here comes the anti port rhetoric bs.point is ports provide a lot of good paying jobs for a lot of people in this area a heck of a lot better wages than the tourist industry pays.truckers ,brokers,fuel suppliers ,heavy equipment companies ,local rigging companies,road construction companies for on terminal repairs,not including the ILA or port employees.as well as the impact within a few miles of each terminals restaurants.there was only one neighborhood on that end of long point when the port was opened there .port owned the rest of the land alway to where 526 is so only a few have a ligament gripe depending when their house was built or moved into it.if was after 81 to bad you should have looked at the property plan maps in your area.i did when i bought my home.and passed on wescot due to the planned road that cuts right through it.our society has turned into a bunch of victims instead of people whom take responsibility for their own actions by trying to pass the blame on businesses.if you live near an industrial zoned property don't be surprised when industry comes .