Council advances retainer to pursue PFAS claims tied to Albertus Airport

The Freeport City Council approved a motion to move forward with a resolution to retain outside counsel for potential litigation concerning per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) tied to Albertus Airport.

Manager Blair presented the item and said the city has been litigating water‑supply PFAS claims with outside counsel and recommended extending that work to investigate possible airport‑related contamination. “We have worked with Napoleon Chikolnik as our litigator for this process, and they’ve been successful in terms of negotiating settlements for the communities involved,” Blair said, recommending continued engagement for potential airport claims.

Fire and city staff briefed the council on local practice and disposal. Fire staff said the department removed stockpiled AFFF (aqueous film‑forming foam) from service and engaged a licensed waste hauler in 2023 to dispose of foam holdings and now use an environmentally safer substitute. During public comment, John Staven, a former member of the Freeport Airport Commission, said foam stored at the airport was disposed of about 12 years ago and that, to his knowledge, foam had not been used there since.

Manager Boyer and legal staff described the matter as possibly part of class‑action efforts to hold chemical manufacturers responsible. Boyer said Freeport was among the early communities with PFAS detected in source water and that prior testing informed the city’s water‑treatment and well projects. The council voted by voice to move the resolution forward; the motion carried.