Meeting planned on arsenal cleanup

NEWTON FALLS -- A public meeting will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Newton Falls Community Center, 52 E. Quarry St., on plans to clean up contaminated soil at the Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant.
Irv Venger, acting facility manager of what is better known as the Ravenna Arsenal, said the meeting will address what to do with the soil at the Winklepeck Burning Grounds.
The grounds contain about 200 acres that were once used to burn waste explosives and other debris.
Venger said there are only two alternatives -- do nothing or remove the soil from the Portage County facility, disposing of it in a special landfill.
The facility once made bombs and artillery shells. It closed in 1992.
"Our goal over the next month is to listen to what the public has to say about the alternatives that are presented in this proposed plan," Venger said.
"Public input is important for the final remedy selection, and full consideration will be given to all public comment," he added.
The meeting is being sponsored by the Army Corps of Engineers and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.