PUBLIC AFFAIRS CASE STUDY
HONEYWELL BUFFALO COLOR CORPORATION AND BUFFALO RIVER REMEDIATION
e3Communications has been working with Honeywell since 2008 on major environmental remediation initiatives, including the cleanup of a former industrial legacy site in the City of Buffalo located on the Buffalo River and the Buffalo River Restoration Project. These initiatives required significant community input and public outreach as well as the coordination of communications with various publics, including residents, key community stakeholders and organizations, state and local government officials and various state and federal regulatory agencies.
The former Buffalo Color Corporation site on the Buffalo River is located near a densely populated working class neighborhood on Buffalo’s south side that was surrounded by blighted former industrial properties. Although the announcement of the remediation was greeted by residents with cautious optimism, there also was significant skepticism as the neighborhood has been neglected for decades.
Through our strategic and proactive efforts, Honeywell became engaged with key community stakeholders and organizations to begin the process of educating the community not only about the remediation of the site, but also the future redevelopment. These outreach efforts included direct outreach with stakeholders, co-hosting various public meetings with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as well as the regular dissemination of project fact sheets, the development of a project web site with real time air monitoring reporting, guided tours of the demolition activity, and door to door outreach in the immediate community.
In addition to fully remediating the site, Honeywell entered into an agreement with a local development entity that is currently coordinating reuses for the property, including reviewing a detailed proposal for one of the remaining historic structures to serve as a national railroad museum and cultural tourism center.
Honeywell has also spent the past several years in Buffalo working closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DEC, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and the local community on the Buffalo River Restoration Project, a $50 million cleanup of the Buffalo River. As a responsible party, Honeywell voluntarily participated in the program and committed $25 million to the cleanup, which was matched by the EPA under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This successful project included extensive community education and outreach, which was coordinated by e3communications on behalf of the member partners of the Buffalo River Restoration Team.
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