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Picher Residents Voice Concerns At Meeting
John Frazier property 206 E. 12th St., Picher, Okla. 1,235 Square feet Assessor's market value $26,255 Appraised value $77,000 Price per square foot $62
Sammy and Missy Beets property 115 N. Ethel St., Picher, Okla. 1,440 Square feet Assessor's market value $31,587 Appraised value $75,000 Price per square foot $49
Missy Beets (left) helps her son, Tyler, with his history homework. Beets believes her Picher home was undervalued by thousands of dollars.
Gaylen Hart property 125 N. Frisco St., Picher, Okla. 1,474 Square feet Assessor's market value $26,605 Appraised value $115,000 Price per square foot $78
A sign was erected at Gaylen Hart's house in Picher, Okla., to state exactly how much he was offered for the property.
Missy Beets helps her son Tyler, 13, with his history homework in their Picher, Okla., home Wednesday evening, Feb. 13, 2008.
The home of Missy Beets in Picher, Okla., as seen Wednesday evening, Feb. 13, 2008.
Sammy Beets helps his daughter, Stephanie, 11, with her mathematics homework in their Picher, Okla., home Wednesday evening, Feb. 13, 2008.
The home of Janell Trimble in Picher, Okla., as seen Wednesday evening, Feb. 13, 2008. Trimble sits on the board of the Lead-Impacted Communities Relocation Assistance Trust.
Jimmy Bayliss pauses to wave to a passing car while clearing the sidewalk outside the Paul Thomas Funeral Home in Picher, Okla. Bayliss has worked at the funeral home since he was a sophomore in high school. The business is one of few remaining along the main street in Picher, and Bayliss isn't sure about it's future.
Susie Stone kisses her grand daughter, Delani Jo Johnson, 10 months, outside Betty's Dairy Inn in Picher, Okla. Stone has many memories of the restaurant growing up, and she's sad that her grand daughter won't get to make memories of her own in Picher.
Bill Grant talks about a fence that runs along the edge of a sinkhole at Hockerville, a town at the heart of the Tar Creek Superfund site.
A crew from Tri-State Engineering surveys streets and yards in Picher. The company contracts with the Environmental Protection Agency in connection with the removal of contaminated soil from residents' yards.
Workers prepare a residential garage for a move out of Picher. Plans call for a number of homes being purchased in the federal buyout in the former mining town to be moved to a development along 620th Road at East 50th Road in Quapaw. The development will be named Bluestem.
A $100 million effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove lead from residential yards damaged many homes. The region¹s status as a Superfund site further devalued properties. A recent federal study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that large areas in Picher and Cardin could collapse at any time. That finding triggered the $50 million buyout of more than 700 properties that is now under way
Ernie and Aletha Redden property 180 N. Treece St., Picher, Okla. 1,216 Square feet Assessor's market value Not known Appraised value $54,000 Price per square foot $44
Betty Betts talks about her frustration in front of her home in Picher. She and several other residents interviewed by the Globe say they have been disappointed by the amount of money they have been offered for their homes in the federal buyout under way in the former lead-and-zinc-mining town.
Piles of waste from a long-shuttered mine site tower over a playground in Picher, Okla. Some residents use the piles for recreation, but others have become so concerned about lead levels that they want to be moved
In Picher, Okla., where many residents worry about lead levels, mountains of mine waste loom over the town
Map Of Contaminated Area
Supporters of a buyout at Picher meet with reporters at a new subsidence that has developed in a farm field southeast of Picher, Okla.
Red Text indicates up date to image verbage as of Sunday, June 29, 2008
Chat piles overshadow Picher, Okla., as seen Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004.
The top portion of these chat piles were thrown all over this area during it's destruction on May 10, 2008.
These chat piles remain as of Sunday, June 29, 2008/TGH
Chat piles litter the small town of Picher, Okla., as seen Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004. Residents may have to go through a buyout, if such a thing happens, because of contaminents leftover from the mining days
The top portion of these chat piles were thrown all over this area during it's destruction on May 10, 2008.
These chat piles remain as of Sunday, June 29, 2008/TGH
A sign warns of the spreading of lead by moving chat, which reportedly contains toxic elements, as seen in Picher, Okla., Wednesday afternoon, July 3, 2002
These signs were not found on Sunday, June 29, 2008 - Poor public safety restraint fencing & area blockaides/TGH
Ed Kekeley of Quapaw, Oklahoma demonstrates how the wind carries dust from chat piles in the Picher, Oklahoma on August 12, 2004.
Same simple test repeated with the same 'wind dust off chat piles by Terry Gene Hembree on Sunday, June 29, 2008/TGH
Lewis Hile, 89, of Picher, Okla., speaks to Jaime Thompson of the Wilburton, Okla., Main Street organization Thursday afternoon, May 8, 2003, during a tour of the Picher Mining Field Museum as they stand next to a mine derrick mockup
Have not found Picher Mining Field Museum in operation due to tornado and lack of population/TGH
Picher Mayor Sam Freeman explains how dust from chat piles is contributing to the recontamination of homes in Picher to Governor Brad Henry on Tuesday, Oct, 21, 2003.
NOTICE: Federal Environment officials have stopped testing the soil and air for lead at the Tar Creek Superfund Site, following a May 10 tornado that almost leveled the town of Picher.
All preliminary tests have shown lead levels are well below health-based federal standards, said Dave Bary, spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency's Dallas office.
Tests were discontinued around the first of June 2008 and a final report on the testing likely will be released in late June or July/TGH
Three-year-old Derek Frost crawls up a mountain of chat behind the family home in Picher. The same mountain of chat is also used as an unofficial town dumping ground
As of Sunday, June 29, 2008 accessibility of area chat piles were easily obtained, in fact 4 wheelers, chat surfers, 2 trucks and 5 individuals were seen during our investigation with no policing of area
The dumping has increased since this picture above with tornado debre added from May 10, 2008 Picher-Twister/TGH
Most of the chat piles around Picher, Okla. are off limits after the area was declared a superfund site.
Same signs were scattered throughtout the chat pile sites - Faded &/or Unreadable as of Sunday, June 29, 2008/TGH
A chat pile looms behind the football stadium at Picher High School.
Chat piles still near school buildings and athletic grounds on Sunday, June 29, 2008/TGH
The Picher school playground is near at chat pile.
Same location of both as of June 29, 2008/TGH
A polluted portion of the water that flows into Tar Creek near Picher, Okla., as seen Wednesday afternoon, July 3, 2002
Despite recent tornado and heavy rains the same runoff of tainted water continues as of June 29, 2008/TGH
A work crew fills a mine shaft southwest of Picher, Oklahoma on Thursday morning, May 19, 2005. They're all wearing safety harnesses as they work over the shaft.
No sign of any work near mine areas with the exception of private owned 'Flint Rock' as of Sunday, June 29, 2008/TGH
The area showed usable equipment and signs of recent usage, it appears that a private business is using the chat in the sale of they're product as of June 29, 2008/TGH
Workers do drill testing along the side of US Highway 69 outside of Picher, Okla. on Thursday, December 15, 2005.
NOTICE: Federal Environment officials have stopped testing the soil and air for lead at the Tar Creek Superfund Site, following a May 10 tornado that almost leveled the town of Picher.
All preliminary tests have shown lead levels are well below health-based federal standards, said Dave Bary, spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency's Dallas office.
Tests were discontinued around the first of June 2008 and a final report on the testing likely will be released in late June or July/TGH
No sign of any work near mine areas with the exception of private owned 'Flint Rock'as of Sunday, June 29, 2008/TGH
Ken Louza, with the US Geological Survey, shows changes that have happened to the minefields near Picher, Okla. since his last visit to the area.
May 10, 2008 Picher-Twister has altered the minefield sites in Picher, Chat has been dispersed into the residential areas along with miscellanious items thrown by tornado/TGH
Chat piles encircle the playground where students at Picher-Cardin Elementary School play football during recess Friday afternoon, March 31, 2006.
Chat piles remain in same position related to the Picher-Carden School system and it's buildings/June 29, 2008/TGH
Picher-Carden School System remained in operation prior to May 10, 2008 tornado, no damage, ended early % Sandy Garrett OSB/TGH
Six-month old Bailey Arnold plays under the watchful eyes of her grandmother Dara Williams and cousin Shelby Allman, 3, in front of their Picher, Okla., home Friday afternoon, March 31, 2006. Williams said she is making no plans regarding the potential buyouts and will just wait to see what happens.
During a period from May 10, 2008 to June 29, 2008 we seldom found any children or adults outside they're housing/TGH
Still shots from Picher based movie "The Creek Runs Red Documentary Film"
"It's just something that gets in your blood," says the mayor of Picher, Oklahoma about his sense of hometown pride.
However, his words take on a powerful irony in this documentary that looks at the toxic legacy of lead mining in a small community
Since the area was declared a Superfund Site in 1981, Picher's residents have been forced to choose between preserving their image of the American Dream and preserving their health
The Creek Runs Red carries us into the heart of a sharply divided community to reveal, with extraordinary intimacy and insight.
An array of human reactions to an environmental disaster.
Still shots from Picher based movie "The Creek Runs Red Documentary Film"
Still shots from Picher based movie "The Creek Runs Red Documentary Film"
Still shots from Picher based movie "The Creek Runs Red Documentary Film"
Still shots from Picher based movie "The Creek Runs Red Documentary Film"
Still shots from Picher based movie "The Creek Runs Red Documentary Film"
May 2005 - Project 2 Tar Creek
Center For Children's Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Research
Moss & Dripping Bank
580 Road
Douthat
Douthat 13 Facing North
Douthat 2
Douthat 3 Soutwest Road
E0020-6 Sampling
Highway 69-2 Looking South
Highway 166-2
Highway 166-5
Lytle Creek B-1
Ottawa 2 - Pouring Wet Fines
Ottawa 3 - Facing North
Ottawa 7
Sooner 18 Old Foundation
Sooner 2
St. Joe - West Side
St. Joe - Chat Creek
St. Joe - Facing East
St. Joe - West Side
details
details
details
White Seep
White Seep
Iron Hydroxides
Moss & Dripping Bank
22nd Street Bridge
22nd Street Bridge 4 Looking North
580 Road
Central Street - Collecting Water Samples
Douthat 13 Facing North
E0020-2 Facing North
Lytle Creek at 0020 Road 1
Central Street - Collecting Water Samples
January 2005 - Project 2 Tar Creek
Center For Children's Environmental Health & Disease Prevention Research
Tar Creek at Douthat Bridge, with chat pile in the distance
Area near base of chat pile
Dave walking around base of a chat pile
Ananya snapping a picture of a chat pile
Jim, Dave and Dan surveying the landscape
Dave and Dan (holding sediment corer)
A desert-like landscape
Frozen surface runoff from chat pile
Surface runoff from chat pile
Ananya collecting pH, conductivity and temperature
measurements from surface runoff
Dave and Laurel on top of chat pile
Dan using a portable XRF to measure metal concentrations in chat
Dave recording GPS coodinates
Jim standing on edge of pile right next to a wetland area
Collecting chat samples
Notice the formation of rust-colored iron hydroxide
when chat comes in contact with water
Close-up of iron hydroxides
Dave on top of a chat pile in the middle of a residential area
Dan on top of a chat pile
Notice close proximity of other chat piles to residential areas
(from left to right) Earl, Laurel, Ananya, Dan and Jim
topic
Collecting water samples.
topic
Sediment core from Tar Creek. Notice layer of rust-colored iron hydroxides
near the top (left side)
Dan and sediment corer
Near the banks of Tar Creek, stained red from iron hydroxides
Jim collecting sediment core
Dan using portable XRF to measure metals along
Tar Creek bank
Tar Creek at Douthat Bridge, with nearby chat pile
Measuring pH and conductivity of acid mine
seepage bubbling from underground
Tar Creek at Douthat Bridge, with chat pile in the distance
Area near base of chat pile
Dave walking around base of a chat pile
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