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Manteno resident questions chemical safety at Goshen; official declines to comment amid litigation
Summary
At the May 19 Manteno board meeting, resident Roy Hodges pressed Chris Larocque about chemical training and safety claims related to a Goshen facility; Larocque declined to answer, citing ongoing litigation.
Roy Hodges, a Manteno resident, pressed village staff on chemical safety and training connected to a legal case involving a facility in Goshen, saying he wanted clarity for taxpayers.
Hodges said he had heard at a recent Goshen court appearance that the facility’s lawyer claimed Mr. Larocque had “extensive chemical training” and had asserted “there are no dangerous chemicals being used at Goshen.” Hodges added that Judge Parkhurst “came out and even listed the chemicals that are carcinogenic and said it was a bunch of baloney.”
When Hodges asked directly, “Chris, do you have any chemical training, engineering training in chemicals?” staff member Chris Larocque declined to answer, saying, “Again, due to ongoing litigation, I'm not at liberty to say.”
Hodges told the board, “we all pay taxes in this town and the people who should be sitting here should be willing to respond to us and give us some sort of clarity as to what's going on.” He described the issue as a matter of taxpayer concern.
The statements about the Goshen court proceeding and the judge’s remarks were reported by Hodges during public comment; neither the facility’s lawyer nor Judge Parkhurst spoke at the Manteno meeting and their statements were reported secondhand. The village did not provide technical details or additional documentation at the meeting.
No formal action or vote on the matter occurred during the meeting; the exchange took place during the public participation period.
Residents seeking official information on the litigation or technical assessments should direct requests to the village clerk or the village’s legal counsel, as the board did not provide further comment during the meeting.
