By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Hickory Woods residents are outraged over a buy-out plan for their homes. They gathered Thursday night to figure out their next step.
About sixty Hickory Woods residents, living on contaminated property near the former L-T-V site in South Buffalo, say a "property protection plan," being offered by the city, is "severely flawed".
The plan was presented by Steelfields, a company hired to conduct a $16.5 million dollar cleanup of the former coke oven and steel production site.
Director of the Western New York Citizens Environmental Coalition, Mike Schade, said the buy-out does not fairly compensate residents.
He said it only offers one million dollars for all the homes.
Residents are now creating a new strategy.
"The residents are going to try and work with city, state and federal officials to find some solution to this toxic nightmare they are living in," said Schade.
"Citizens are calling for a full relocation and clean up of their contaminated neighborhoods."
Schade said the $16.5 million dollar plan does not include clean up of residential yards or a near by playground.
Hickory Woods residents have been battling the city for a relocation plan for more than three years.
Schade said residents oppose another provision of the Steelfields plan that would prevent them from filing lawsuits against the city.
"People don't want to sign their rights away to participate in any litigation. They feel that's really problematic," said Schade.
"Most residents wonder if their is no problem, then why is Steelfields asking them to sign their rights away to pursue any litigation?"
The clean-up agreement with Steelfields was announced in July by Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello.
At the time, Maisello said the agreement included a "fair market value plan" that would provide an additional one million dollars to be used for residents who wanted to leave or stay at Hickory Woods.