To the Journal editor:

I feel compelled to weigh in on their plight. Our Vets have put everything on the line for us and our country.

Many have been exposed to life-threatening situations, serious injuries and chemicals such as Agent Organe resulting in life-long problems.

As a result, I am rallying the public to get involved with an injustice that would befall our brave vets.

There is a proposal to build a new $97.6 million Jacobetti Veterans Home in Marquette. The funding for this project includes $63.4 million in federal funds and $34.2 million in state funds.

The architectural designs are of a beautiful 108-bed facility set on 20 acres, which is certainly befitting of the veterans who served our country so bravely.

Unfortunately, the building site being seriously considered for this facility is the old CliffS-Dow site located on Lakeshore Drive in Marquette, Michigan. For those not familiar with this site, it is a highly contaminated site, where tar and very toxic chemicals have permeated the ground water.

When this contaminated ground water encounters surface water in Lake Superior, the chemicals can be smelled if there is an onshore wind. These chemicals and the surface water contamination still exist even after 845 tons of material was moved from the site in 2011.

Despite the prior cleanup efforts of the level of contaminates such as benzene, naphthalene and others, have increased due to strong wind and wave actions.

The pollution is so pervasive that it has deed restrictions preventing it from being used as a residential site, yet this continues to be a preferred site. Why when other sites are available in Chocolay and Negaunee townships?

Certainly a 20-acre pollution free site exists somewhere in Marquette Township as well if people cared to seriously explore it.

Why would we even consider such a toxic site, with a chemical plume leaching into Lake Superior, where chemicals can be detected in the air, to house our ailing veterans?

I recommend the following: please contact Michigan Veteran Home (Michigan.gov/mvh), your current City Officials, State Reps, Senators and Congressmen and voice your concern over this site selection.

Our vets, who bravely served us, certainly deserve better than what is currently being proposed by the Michigan Department of Veteran Affairs.

BURT MASON

Baraga

EDITOR’S NOTE: Burt Mason, R-Baraga, is a candidate for 109th State House District representative.