Milton Jackson

Staff Photo by Gillian Bolsover Milton Jackson recently resigned as the president of Stop Toxic Pollution, after serving with the group for 17 years. Mr. Jackson said he felt like he was fighting a losing battle to get toxic sites cleaned up.

The longtime leader of Stop Toxic Pollution, the Alton Park environmental group, is leaving the organization and expects it to disband because most of its formerly active members are deceased.

"There's not much help in the community, and I'm tired of arguing and trying to move things forward," said Milton Jackson, group leader and an Alton Park resident of more than 50 years.

Mr. Jackson, 73, said he has had several disappointing moments in his efforts to make Alton Park a more environmentally safe place. The last straw came this month after the Hamilton County Commission announced plans to clean the former Charles A. Bell School site with a $200,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant and put a playground there.

The site has benzene chloride, herbicides and pesticides in the ground, Mr. Jackson said.

"When you breath in those vapors, it irritates the nose and throat," he said. "High exposure could cause buildup in the lungs and eventually death."

Mr. Jackson said the $200,000 grant isn't enough to adequately clean the area.

Dan Saieed, director of development for Hamiton County government, said Mr. Jackson is right.

Mr. Saieed said the cleanup will cost more than $200,000 but more money is coming. He said the $200,000 was the maximum amount the county could apply for from the EPA. However, the city and the county are matching the $200,000, and all of that money will be used for demolition and clean up, he said. More money will be sought to build the playground, Mr. Saieed said.

Maria Noel, manager of the Renewal Community program for the Enterprise Center and an Alton Park resident of more than 20 years, said Mr. Jackson is an expert on the environment in Alton Park and should continue to monitor the cleanup.

"He knows more about the site than anyone," she said. "For the safety of the community, rather than drop out, it would be better that he monitored the work to make sure they were doing what needed to be done."

Mr. Jackson said he also plans to retire from other community activities, such as serving on the Alton Park Development Corp. board and the city's storm water board.

He has been president of Stop Toxic Pollution since December 1992. Under his leadership in the late 1990's, the organization received a $50,000 EPA grant to hire a technical adviser for the cleanup of Chattanooga Creek.

"I don't want to get involved anymore," Mr. Jackson said. "It's upsetting and I'm too old to fight, so I'm going to give up and not worry about anything else."