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Updated: January 9, 2013 |
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Hopewell Community & Industry Panel
c/o City of Hopewell
300 North Main Street
Hopewell, VA 23860
Telephone (804) 541-2298
Contact: Herbert Bragg, HCIP Staff Support, (804) 541-2270, or
Scott Firestine, HCIP Co-chair, (804) 4589-6329
Hopewell Community & Industry Panel Members
Mission
The
Hopewell Community and Industry Panel will nurture an environmental,
economic and cultural bond among citizens, local government and
industries, so that our shared life will benefit members of our
community individually and collectively.
Meeting the Objective
Much of the first year was spent organizing and identifying goals, and
teaching members about issues affecting citizens and the environment.
One of the HCIP's early accomplishments was "What You See, Hear and
Smell" - an open forum where citizens could talk directly with plant
mangers. The event was deemed a success and the HCIP formed plans for
other accomplishments that followed.
- Annual emergency-preparedness drills at local industries
involving industries, local and state government and public safety
agencies, citizens and media.
- Industry officials attend City Council meetings annually to
discuss their spills and releases. These discussions, where yearly
industry environment impact information is shared with the public six
months before the EPA releases it to the rest of the nation, have gone
a long way toward cementing the cooperation between Hopewell and its
industries.
- HCIP members installed the Hopewell Emergency Notification System
in 1993. HENS is a self-contained, regional radio system that can
provide instant warning to citizens, industries, schools, and local and
state officials in the event of hazardous chemical release into the
environment.
- Industries and safety officials provide public information on the
city's Automated Citizens Information System, and HCIP project
completed in 1995.
- Throughout 1993, the local media published the column "Venting
Steam," which addressed citizens' question about industry and the
environment.
- Honeywell, Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Hercules Inc.,
Virginia-American Water Co. and other HCIP members have hosted school
science class tours and taken their expertise to the classroom,
educating our students on what is produced in Hopewell.
- Hercules Inc.'s Aqualon plant and Honeywell have created state-certified wildlife habitats on their plant sites.
- Honeywell hosted a plant Open House in April 1995, where 13,000
visitors spent a Saturday learning about their local industrial
neighbor.
- The HCIP won the International City / County management
Association's Partnership Award in 1998. Governor Jim Gilmore, who
called the Panel a model for all Virginians to follow, came to Hopewell
in September of that year to present the award to the Mayor and members
of the HCIP.
More Partnership Resources
Virginia Business One Stop
Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Virginia Department of Business Assistance
Virginia’s Gateway Region
Crater Small Business Development Center
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