Mayor Matthew Feeney told Chillicothe City Council on Aug. 25 that the company that owns the Pixel paper mill, HIG, has solicited purchase offers and "is still considering purchase options." He said city and county officials have met regularly since mid‑April to coordinate response for workers and for the facility site. "We have been very busy, but have not been able to relay or experience much progress," Feeney said.

Feeney said Pixel (the mill) operates two wells that have helped keep a contaminated plume stable near the former paper‑making site. He told council that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the site manager, Halmet, has agreed to install two additional monitoring wells but the EPA "is not satisfied with that as an end result." The mayor said the community needs answers about whether the situation requires full remediation or ongoing monitoring.

The mayor framed the issue as longstanding: "we have a situation that is approximately 30 plus years old," and said he has arranged a meeting with the EPA and Ross County commissioners so elected officials can ask technical questions directly. He also said the wells that Pixel operates are still running and that ceasing paper‑making does not necessarily mean the wells will stop.

Resident Stephanie Renner, who gave public comment during audience participation, said wearing "corpse paint" during the meeting was intended to signal "the fear and anxiety we have from living near the toxic plume." Renner said she had been uncertain why Halmet had not been asked to speak publicly at recent meetings and asked, "where the sense of urgency has gone."

Another resident, Jamie Brown, addressed council about regulatory context and described a recent Supreme Court decision affecting administrative deference to agencies. Brown urged stronger public pressure on HIG and local officials, saying, "HIG has been horrible through this transition," and urged officials to use their platform to press for information and action.

The city law director told council that a private law firm has been soliciting municipalities to test water as part of litigation related to a large DuPont settlement; he said the firm offered to pay testing costs and sought to identify cities eligible for recovery tied to PFAS/PFOA contamination. "If they test, at least a 2, I guess, is the magic number, then we would qualify to get this money to come in and do the remediation and cleanup," the law director said.

Council members did not take a formal vote on any new regulatory action at the meeting. Instead, the mayor said his office will continue to relay information from the EPA and has set a joint meeting so the EPA can address council and county questions directly. Feeney also said he will keep communications open with the United Steelworkers union president — identified in his remarks as "Jeff" — regarding payroll and pension questions raised after Pixel's workforce changes.

Why it matters: Council and residents said they want clear, technical answers about whether long‑term cleanup is required and who will pay for it. The mayor said the city will push for those answers from the EPA and that the public briefing is intended to provide them.

What remains unresolved: The transcript shows the EPA has required two additional monitoring wells and that Halmet is performing some monitoring, but it does not record an EPA determination about whether permanent remediation is required. The timing and details of any remediation, Halmet's obligations, or commitments by HIG remain unspecified in the meeting record.

Ending: City officials scheduled a future briefing with the EPA and Ross County commissioners to get technical answers; residents urged more aggressive public pressure and clearer public briefings in the meantime.