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Bayshore High School, Bradenton, FL Concerned Alumni and Friends
UPDATE 2010
Dear Friends:
I thought I would share some information with you all so that you can know all that I have discovered about Bayshore High School and the area surrounding BHS ( VoTEch- MCC and the neighborhood behind BHS-> Sunset Acres) .... and then maybe we could start a discussion/ and or share thoughts about it. I know that there are many possibilities of what could have been there/ was there etc... and I know that my theory isn't the ONLY theory out there. The facts that I am about to share with you are TRUE researched and with documentation to back it up FACTS. When I started this research 5 yrs ago I didn't have a clue to what Benzene was but I can tell you this....... every time I find a piece of evidence / clue/ whatever you want to call it...... it keeps pointing back to Diesel fuel / Benzene... that fact CANNOT be disputed....... what is disputed is where/ how much and when and of course the golden question of WHO put it THERE?
Here's information that through my research I can tell you is FACT:
1) FACT: Prior to Bayshore High School being built ... going back to the 1940's it was owned by a Milton C. Jackson Cattle Company... who in turn.....had an OIL/GAS Lease with the Magnolia Petroleum Company ( which is now Exxon ). To my knowledge I do not believe that any actual drilling happened in that immediate area- at least in the records that I was able to find. The BHS property changed hands through various investors etc for several years until acquired by the Manatee Schools and that is when Bayshore Middle School was built. The Oil/Gas Release was valid until 1978 ( although a a 1996 Environmental Site Assessment said it was released in 1952)
2) FACT: Everyone knows that BHS had it's issues.... to know the true extent- it is my belief- that you had to truly have been there to KNOW what the extent of the problems were- but the FACT is that the old BHS building was torn down. ( They said because " it was cheaper to build a new one than to retrofit it" ) The leaky roof/ ceilings and mold were no secret. The first thing many people think of when they hear about MOLD in Florida is " Well it's hot and humid"- valid point-> no argument there! But I don't think many people realize that if a building is built upon contaminated soil MOLD and nasty things will grow inside the building(s). According to the SAME 1996 Site Assessment it stated in comparing various years aerial photo's - referencing to 1975 and 1980 -> the discussion was in reference to the parcel which BHS and VO TECH were located on- I thought this was relatively disturbing- and yet there was never an explanation given- they were referring to the Vo Tech property- and what contamination there could have spilled over onto BHS property-> "The east side of the Diesel Mechanics Shop is a large portion of disturbed property. The cause of the disturbance cannot be determined." ( Notice no mention of a pond) In referring to the same area on the property the 1980 aerial photo -> "There appears to be significant residential development east of the perimeter, along with that appears to be a large pond area. The disturbed area observed in the 1975 aerial no longer exists". It was noted in that report that School System employees said that a dump site existed at some pint in past years- East of the old Diesel Mechanics Shop- which is the SAME area where the large portion of disturbed property was.....( Keep in mind at the time of the assessment it some 16+ yrs had already passed + the addition of the pond)
Note: I was contacted by a woman that lives back in Sunset Acres ( the neighborhood BEHIND BHS) and she said that she has lived there since 1960's and knows of many people that lived back there that either had died of cancer or were sick with cancer and she told me that she is also now terminally ill with cancer.
3) FACT: There was a 10,000 gallon UST for Diesel Fuel at BHS. In 1995 it was believed to be leaking and removed. I do not understand how if the School was the ONLY building EVER constructed on the property- and it wasn't done until the early to mid 1960's how is it that NO ONE seems to know who INSTALLED the tanks and WHY such a LARGE tank. I don't think most people understand how large a 10,000 gal tank is! That is large enough to supply a local gas station for a week,. (I don't buy the fact that it was used for heating fuel... all other schools had either a 225 gal tank or a 550 gal tank.)
4) FACT: Because of the above mentioned Tank and our Town Meeting in 2007 we were successful in getting testing done at the old BHS property. The testing raised yet more questions. ( honestly I don't think anyone bothered reading the results) The Environmental Company that did the testing back in 2007 made it clear in their report that they were specifically directed to test the dirt in the area immediately around the location of the old tank ONLY. So here's my first thought- that was one HUGE tank- you know it had to leave a gaping hole in the ground- which would require TONS of dirt to fill in.... aren't the chances pretty high that they tested fill dirt? At our Town Meeting in Oct 2007 we asked that several "random" areas of the schools property be tested. That was never performed. This same Environmental report led to another interesting fact and that was there were tanks over at MCC that leaked... continued on FACT below.
5) FACT: There were multiple tanks at Manatee Community College that had leaks. Some of these tanks were found " by chance"-> NICE- huh? That would mean for years they went with no monitoring/ maintenance/ etc- and yet AMAZING just like the tanks at BHS - No one knows where they came from or who installed them? One tank leaked so bad that it contaminated the AQUIFER! I have HUNDREDS of pages to verify this! FYI- one gallon of Diesel Fuel can contaminate 1,000,000 gallons of water. Another disturbing note-> MCC had a 10,000 gal tank too...... that is a HUGE tank- to give you an idea- that is the size of tank they use to gas up/ where the buses are parked/housed. Makes perfect sense to have a tank that size there........ it does not make sense as to why tanks that size were at BHS and MCC.
Why is it that no one knows when/why/ who installed these tanks? Especially tanks so large? Could they have been installed by the Petroleum Company back when the Oil and Gas lease originated? In anticipation of drilling to take place? And from what I could make of it- that lease covered from approx the old Spa South/ Galaxy Lanes area ( can you tell it's been decades since I've lived in Bradenton ;o) ) Cortez Rd / 34th Street to all the way to the bay on 34th Street/ Bayshore Gardens/ El Conquistador area.
6) FACT: Manatee Vo Tech had NUMEROUS tanks at the property too.... one large tank was even noted to have what looked like intentional holes drilled in the tank as to let it drain- which might have been what was referred to in the "dump site" reference.
I have THOUSANDS of PAGES documenting the research I have found. I cannot understand why we cannot get any real ANSWERS? I don't see how this is any different than the contamination over in Tallevast.... other than the STATE had a DOD Contractor with deep pockets to go after- so they DID! BUT being that these properties are all essentially STATE OWNED- Sovereign Immunity kicks in and I assume they think that they can hide behind that.
In the last media segment that covered the MCC Leaking tank- they actually said that the leak was confined to property lines- it makes me SICK that they think we are that stupid...... When anything leaks into the AQUIFER...... that's it.... fences don't hold that back. It literally took them YEARS to cleanup and monitor to get their property back to a decent level! Note: What about the RIGHT TO KNOW ACT? Why weren't faculty/students ever informed there was a leak at MCC and it was being cleaned up?
In the last 5 years I have been contacted by over a hundred alumni or their families.... and each of their stories are so very heartbreaking. I have a very special place in my heart for each of those families.... because I know EXACTLY what they are going though or went through.. I know that pain and devastation all too well.
We deserve answers my friends!
I would like to close with a quote from Erin Brockovich - every time I read it- it brings tears to my eyes.......
"I am an advocate for awareness, the truth, and a person's right to know. I believe that in the absence of the truth, all of us stand helpless to defend ourselves, our families and our health, which is the greatest gift we have. As with everything, some people always go too far, too far to the right, too far to the left, and this is true of environmentalism and now, in many instances, our issues fall on a deaf ear.
Often times we don’t think about or worry about or understand what is happening to another until it happens to us. Deceits have no boundaries. Disease doesn’t recognize the color of our skin or our political parties affiliation. When it comes to cover-ups and destruction of our environment, we are all up for grabs." BY ERIN BROCKOVICH
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