Introduction
Community involvement includes assessing community interest by conducting surveys, public meetings and information sessions
and providing displays and tours where community members can learn about the cleanup and share their ideas and concerns with cleanup officials. Addressing these concerns involves providing information, developing alternatives, responding to comments, and monitoring results. Guidance for community involvement in environmental cleanup is established by the Department of the Army (the Department of Defense) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
The community relations office assists the U.S. Army Fort Ord Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Field Office develop and maintain information exchange forums which provide two-way communication with the affected community concerning cleanup issues.
Community Relations Office
(download map)
Building 4463 Gigling Road, Room 101
Seaside, California
(former Fort Ord)
Open weekdays: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Telephone: 831-393-1284
Fax: 831-393-9188
e-mail: melissa.m.broadston.ctr@mail.mil
Mailing Address:
Fort Ord BRAC Office
Building 4463 Gigling Road, Room 101
P.O. Box 5008
Monterey, CA 93944-5008
Community Relations Plan (CRP)
A Community Relations Plan for Fort Ord Environmental Cleanup has been published in accordance with USEPA guidance. The plan describes communication techniques
used to keep the affected community informed throughout the cleanup process. The Community Relations Plan is maintained in the administrative record and
the information repositories and is available for public viewing. Some
of the activities for which the plan provides guidance include:
Community Outreach
Involvement of the community in the cleanup of the former Fort Ord is accomplished through several outreach activities aimed at establishing and sustaining two-way communication between the Army and members of the local communities. Participants include, but are not limited to: Technical Review Committee (TRC) members, local political and civic leaders, special interest groups, minority, ethnic, and religious organizations.
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets are brief reports summarizing current or proposed activities of the cleanup program; they may be released when new information is available or after the completion of a final design or plan.
They are distributed at public meetings, community events, and to interested
parties who have requested general or specific information.
When requesting Fact Sheets, please refer to the Fact Sheet title for the information you are interested in. For assistance, or to join a mail or e-mail list for future cleanup Fact Sheets and other public informational materials, contact the Administrative Record Office at (831) 393-9693, or by e-mail adminrecord@fortordcleanup.com. Translation of listed information is available upon request.
Interviews and Surveys
Interviews and surveys are conducted by the community relations staff within
affected communities to support the Community Relations Plan. Interviews
assist the community relations staff to maintain a current assessment of the
interest of community members in cleanup activities. To schedule an interview,
contact a member of the community relations staff at (831) 393-1284 or e-mail: melissa.m.broadston.ctr@mail.mil
Annual Report
The Fort Ord Annual Report is published once a year and mailed to more than 50,000 local residents, students, teachers, contractors and others
in the Monterey Bay - Salinas communities. The newsletter contains articles describing current cleanup activities, future plans, community involvement, and safety information. To receive the newsletter or request past issues, contact the Community Relations Office.
Notices and Advertisements
Public notices are published in the Salinas Californian and Monterey County Herald newspapers to provide a notice of intent to the community describing a selected course of action in regards to a cleanup site or policy. Notices are also published to announce the public comment period for proposed plans, findings of suitability to transfer property, and the location of information repositories. Advertisements are published to announce public meetings and information sessions
and tours in connection with the cleanup.
Group Presentations and Tours
Tours of cleanup activities are conducted for community leaders, groups, media, organizations, and agencies with an expressed interest in one or more aspects of the cleanup. Tours have been provided for the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA), California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB),
community groups, local civic organizations, clubs, local colleges, universities, and schools, as well as local and national media. Tours can be scheduled through the Community Relations Office.
Presentations have been provided to the faculty and students of CSUMB and
Monterey Peninsula College, local chapters of the Sierra Club, Kiwanis Club,
Rotary Club, and the Monterey County Association of Realtors. Munitions and
Explosives of Concern (MEC) safety presentations are offered to local elementary
and middle schools, government agencies, and public service providers.
Public Meetings and Other Events
A community involvement opportunity provides community members with
information concerning specific proposed cleanup plans and offers an opportunity
for the Army to receive input concerning cleanup plans. Public meeting and
information sessions are advertised to the community through local print media,
e-mail, and direct mailings.
Technical Review Committee (TRC)
The Fort Ord Technical Review Committee is made up of representatives of
local and regional regulatory agencies and commissions, natural resource
trustees, civic and educational institutions. It is established to review and
comment on interim and final environmental cleanup actions.
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