Flying Site Assistance
Tony Stillman | [email protected]
The Tampa Radio Control Aircraft Club, Inc. Receives EPA Region 4 Excellence in Site Reuse Award!
Earlier this year, I was made aware of an outstanding AMA club that had achieved such success in the improvement and operation of their landfill/flying site that the EPA awarded them the Region 4 Excellence in Site Reuse Award. Club President Scott Kantrowitz accepted the award for the Tampa Radio Control Aircraft Club (TRAC).
Many club members put forth untold hours of effort to locate and obtain this site. The club members are to be congratulated for their overall efforts to work with the community. The best reward a club can receive is having a great place to fly. TRAC has certainly done that!
This success story is something I hope many clubs will learn from and work toward creating a similar flying site in their area.
This award is presented by EPA Region 4. The site that won this award is the Taylor Road Landfill in Tampa, Florida. This is the location of the TRAC flying site. The club worked with the local landfill authority along with the County Parks Department, Solid Waste Department, and the EPA to obtain use of the site.
Over time, the club’s constant effort to be a good steward of the site paid off and the club was able to obtain more and more area, including land that was part of the EPA Superfund area of the Taylor Road Landfill.
Region 4 established the Excellence in Site Reuse Award for those who have supported the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative through outstanding efforts when redeveloping a Superfund site. Region 4 has been successful in facilitating the redevelopment of Superfund sites. Many developers, site owners, and local governments have worked closely with Region 4 to ensure that sites are redeveloped in a manner that enhances remedial actions and/or minimizes the agency’s responsibilities for long-term care and maintenance. This award was established to recognize these outstanding efforts.
Evaluation Criteria for Excellence in Site Reuse Award
- Enhancement of the selected remedy
- Reduction of EPA’s long-term stewardship responsibilities
- Effect on the local community
- Enhanced monitoring of institutional controls (neighborhood watch)
- Design of redevelopment complementary with long-term implementation of the selected remedy
I encourage every club member to reread this article. Note how the EPA places importance on the club’s work to maintain the site. A great relationship with your site owner is worth everything!
Obviously, TRAC has fulfilled all the above, and has done it with excellence! On behalf of AMA, I would like to congratulate TRAC for all of its long-term efforts, not only with the Taylor Road Landfill and EPA, but with the local community as well.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
