Introduction

Community involvement includes assessing community interest by conducting surveys, public meetings and information sessions, providing displays and tours, and facilitating boards and committees 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 project community relations office assists the U.S. Army, Presidio of Monterey staff and Monterey Project Office Corps of Engineers staff to develop and maintain information exchange forums which provide two-way communication with the affected community concerning cleanup issues.

Community Relations Office (see 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
Email: melissa.broadston@us.army.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) 393-9186, 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 Email: melissa.broadston@us.army.mil

Newsletter

The Fort Ord Environmental Newsletter (formerly called the ADVANCE) is published quarterly and mailed to more than 50,000 local residents, students, teachers, contractors and others.  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 by the Army Installation and the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 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, tours and the temporary closure of roads or facilities in connection with the cleanup.

Points of Contact

Members of the Army Installation staff, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff and others specialists are designated as community points of contact for specific aspects of the Fort Ord Cleanup.  Some of the points of contact are list below.  A complete list is provided in the Community Relations Plan (CRP) for Fort Ord located in the administrative record and information repositories.