Anniston Star
July 20, 2003

Anniston Housing Authority to help residents get protective gear

By Sara Clemence
Star Staff Writer
07-20-2003

The Anniston Housing Authority and the contractors distributing protective equipment in Calhoun County are formulating a plan to help public housing residents get the gear, officials said Thursday.

The plan will involve shuttling residents to McClellan to pick up air filters, masks and other items that are being given out to protect residents in case of an accident at the Anniston Army Depot, said Kevin Fowler, director of operations for Anniston Housing Authority.

About 2,253 tons of deteriorating chemical weapons are stored at the depot, and may soon be incinerated.

The plan would be in addition to an existing but little-known program to bring people without transportation to the center.

The housing plan has been in the works for a few weeks but is not complete, Fowler said.

"We're going to take the role of notification to the people, telling them when they're being picked up," he said.

Staffers from the contractor, Centech, approached the agency several weeks ago.

"They were concerned about these people not getting their stuff," Fowler said. The housing authority runs nine complexes in the area, with a total of about 2,400 residents, he said.

"Part of our outreach program is to bring people in and get them to take advantage of our program," said Daniel Spillers, director of outreach services for the distribution center at McClellan, run by Centech. "We realized there was a large section that was not being covered, and that was the Anniston Housing Authority."

He said that the housing effort, which is beyond Centech's contract requirements, is meant to address the concentration of residents there without cars.

Fowler said he hopes to put the plan in place around the first week of August.

"We'll try to get it done before cold weather," he said.