Members of the Commissioners Committee on the Fire Training Facility David Roth, left to right, Nancy Roof and Joe Thompson address members of the Piqua Commission including Tom Hohman, background left and Mayor Kris Lee.
Eamon Baird | Miami Valley Today
By Eamon Baird
PIQUA — The Commissioners Committee on the Fire Training Facility gave their monthly report to the Piqua City Commission during its Tuesday, July 16 meeting.
This special committee was established by a resolution adopted by the Piqua City Commission on Feb. 6 to create a report detailing events between 2017 and 2023 at the Fire Training Facility. During that time, the Energy Safety Response Group (ESRG) occupied the site, which burned lithium-ion batteries. In September 2023, ESRG was required to shut down operations by the city of Piqua and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Co-Chairs of the committee Nancy Roof and David Roth, and member Joe Thompson discussed the need for the committee to hire outside council moving forward. Currently, Law Director Frank Patrizio serves as the liaison for the committee.
“Mr. Patrizio has been helpful to us, but the committee would like to reach out to an independent council just to get an opinion on some legal matters,” Roth said. “We would like to have counsel provided to members of the committee to give advice on avoiding liability when we discuss individuals or public entities during our meetings.”
The committee’s initial request is for Dan Brown, an attorney from Dayton, to serve as its legal counsel for five hours initially at $300 per hour.
There was some discussion on whether the lawyer would serve the committee or the Piqua City Commission.
“If he’s not our lawyer, more or less, then we might as well stay with Mr. Patrizio,” Roof said. “We are investigating the city as well as other entities.”
“We’re all one team here. We are doing an internal investigation and it’s not this us versus them mentality,” Commissioner Tom Hohman said, adding that the way the commission is currently formed, the attorney would serve the commission.
The commission agreed to allow committee members to sit in on an executive session if Brown is hired as outside counsel.
Patrizio noted any lawyer hired for the committee will work under certain limitations as stated in the city of Piqua Charter.
“Just so we’re clear, anybody that works for the city actually works under the law director, and he will not have the ability to issue subpoenas, that would have to come through me,” Patrizio said. “He can give advisory opinions to them, and I have no problem with that at all.”
Next, the committee gave an update on their progress to the commission.
“This has been a work in progress from the beginning,” Thompson said. “We keep getting information and there’s some things that are alleged and citizens have some theories about some things. Part of our committee’s job is to look into these things and see if we’ve got some facts behind it.”
“It’s an unenviable task that you guys have been set forward with,” Hohman said to the committee.
Hohman also asked the committee about their tour of the old water treatment plant where the battery burning occurred.
“Were you guys wearing any protective equipment or a breathing apparatus when you were out on that site?” Hohman asked.
“We didn’t. We probably should have,” Roof said. “I did throw my sandals away after I heard the reaction of other people.”
“I think it’s pretty self-evident that what happened out there shouldn’t have happened; that’s why it stopped. That’s why we’ve done numerous pieces of legislation to make sure it never happens again,” Hohman said. “But there’s been a lot of claims that the site out there is an ongoing danger just by existing. We’ve got a lot of families that aren’t sure if they should live here, we’ve got a lot of businesses that are not sure if they should be investing in this community or not.”
“I don’t think we’ve spent a lot of time investigating the environmental aspect of this yet. There is going to be a symposium next Wednesday at Edison State, and I am personally hoping to learn more about that aspect,” Roof said.
“I think it does speak volumes that when you guys went out there and potentially your lives were on the line you didn’t wear protective gear,” Hohman said.
“I was following the city’s example from the burn open house,” Roof replied.
“Did you feel like your life was on the line when you went out there?” Hohman asked.
“You want to drop it,” Roof replied. “I think we’ve answered it.”
The Commissioners Committee on the Fire Training Center meets every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of Fort Piqua Plaza.
