TOWN OF NIAGARA, N.Y. (WBEN) - Town of Niagara resident "Joe" walked into the Calvin Richards senior center and looked around.
"Where is everybody," "Joe" said to no one in particular. "You'd think this place would have been jammed."
Monday's third information session that focused on testing for long-buried radioactive materials in backyards of homes in both Erie and Niagara county drew a sparse crowd, generally speaking.
Put it this way, 4:30 p.m. - some 90 minutes after the session began - there were 13 people from the EPA, state DEC and state Department of Health present and a grand total of 7 people had come in to talk with officials.
"I hate to say it, but, I think there are a lot of people who are just shrugging their shoulders, or are just apathetic," said Kathy Aronica, a Realtor with Hunt Real Estate Corp.'s Grand Island office.
Yet, the subject has become a major local talking point with some politicians trying to make political hay out of the matter - at the expense of the impacted homeowners.
Aronica said the lack of transparency is a major factor.
Testing for buried radioactive materials began in 2023 and, in some cases, state and federal agencies have still not released pieces of information including maps showing what neighborhoods might be impacted the most.
It is, now, well-known that the Town of Niagara's Military Park neighborhood with four houses on Fox Drive and Chester Street are, in a de facto way, considered ground zero.
"I'd love to see the maps," Aronica said.
Aronica is now recommending her clients pay for their own pre-sale inspection, something that until recent events was cast aside because of the limited residential listings and price wars often times led to withdrawing the home inspection process in the pre-buying due diligence.
Kelly Spurlock, Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors (BNAR) government affairs director, said "information is the key."
Because of limited answers from state and federal agencies, it has created a wave of uncertainty among buyers, Spurlock said.
"The general public is scared and confused," Spurlock said. "If your house is in one of these neighborhoods, then your concern is a "10" on a scale of one-to-ten," Spurlock said. "Buyers have the right to have a complete inspection done."
State and federal agencies have tested more than 1,200 properties and have received permission from 800 homeowners - combined between Erie and Niagara counties - to conduct radiation examinations on their properties.
BNAR, Spurlock said, is putting out an information packet that can help buyers with their questions about buried radioactive materials.
"Any way we can help, we will help," Spurlock said.
DEC, EPA and State Health Department's information session about reports of radioactive materials in both Erie and Niagara counties drew a sparse crowd.
DEC, EPA and State Health Department's information session about reports of radioactive materials in both Erie and Niagara counties drew a sparse crowd.
