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Residents press Fishers council on AgriPark West: independent lead testing, MOU and FAA approval concerns
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Fishers City Council to reconsider the proposed AgriPark West, requested independent soil lead testing, and cited a 2016 MOU with the airport authority and FAA runway protection-zone issues; council members said testing returned acceptable results and that FAA permission would be required before proceeding.
Several residents used the community-comment portion of the Fishers City Council meeting to press the council for more information and caution over the proposed AgriPark West project, raising questions about soil lead testing, an airport MOU, and FAA zoning protections.
Casey Crosby, who said he sent 13 written questions to council members and received only one response, asked whether councilmembers "unconditionally support the AgriPark" and whether they would approve independent soil lead testing at the site. Crosby also cited a July 2016 memorandum of understanding between the airport authority and the city that he said limits development to aviation uses in the area proposed for AgriPark West and asked whether current zoning permits community gardens, farm animals or urban farming in the Metropolitan Airport zone.
Julie Russell, a resident who said she is a Katrina survivor, criticized the city's public materials about soil testing and alleged the laboratory named on the city website, A and L Great Lakes Laboratories, "does not perform lead testing" and that the lead work was subcontracted to a firm named Element. She urged the council to consider a different site for AgriPark West and warned that proceeding without adequate review could harm public health.
Council/staff response: A speaker identified in the transcript as a staff or council representative clarified that A and L Great Lakes Laboratories conducted the soil testing but subcontracted lead analysis to Element; results were returned to Hamilton County Water and Soil and then to the city of Fishers. Council members also stated they would not proceed with AgriPark West unless FAA permission was granted and said the soil testing results returned were "acceptable," offering to meet individually with concerned residents to discuss details.
Claims and status: Residents requested independent verification of lead levels and questioned whether prior agreements (a 2016 MOU) or runway protection zones constrain the proposed use. The staff explanation described testing as a subcontracted chain of custody and said results were verified; the transcript records disagreement between residents and the staff explanation. The items raised were discussed but, according to the transcript, no formal change of council policy or action on AgriPark West was taken at the meeting.
What happens next: Councilmembers invited residents to meet with staff and said any development at the site would require FAA approval where applicable. No further binding actions on AgriPark West were recorded in the meeting transcript.
