| Chapter 1: | Welcome to Hickory Woods |
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directed toward assessing the geographic distribution of both contamination and calculated health risk.
(ESI , 2001, p. 2)
City officials rejected the ESI review. Because ESI representatives had worked with the HWCHA in the past, City of Buffalo authorities felt that the organization was not able to present a neutral assessment of the exposure study. Through fall 2001 Hickory Woods residents approached city officials multiple times to request another peer review. City officials finally agreed and hired a third party to review both the original study and the ESI peer review. The results of this second peer review were released in February 2002. They contradicted the ESI report and concluded that despite minor methodological confusion, the DOH report was both accurate and valid.
By 2002 residents had become fed up with the lack of action on the part of the city and many had filed suit against Buffalo for both property and personal damages. Homeowners were waiting to hear whether the mayor would approve the Common Council resolution for relocation. He had publicly stated that he supported relocation if there was indeed a significant danger to the health of individuals in the community. Despite the inconclusive results of the area studies, the city filed suit against LTV for cleanup and relocation costs.
In 2002 the city fell into severe economic crisis. Budget battles emerged over public services, from firefighting to city parks. Residents of Hickory Woods along with other local residents publicly voiced their concern, stating that they felt their fight for relocation had to take a back seat. Many mentioned feeling uncomfortable trying to win public support for their community issue when the City of Buffalo as a whole was crumbling around them. In addition, it was unlikely that the city would respond favorably to their requests, considering that bankruptcy was near and that a financial control board had been established to manage city funds. Securing funds for neighborhood relocation became a very