The formation of the RAGE Organization is not a complex matter in any way. It is the gathering of various professionals, politicians, and residents of the Village of Endicott bonded by a common cause dedicated to restoring our way of life.

Not only are the residents of our community faced with the enormity of health risk, but real estate devaluation and any other long range affects on the village (and, in fact, the county). Also affected are our school children, religious groups and sites, small business concerns along with almost every other entity that touches our daily lives.

The rules, if you will, are quite simple. The people who will be serving on the permanent committees must be committed to their tasks, endeavor to work in the best possible manner assist the Resident Action Group of Endicott to assist the community with reliable information, adopt projects in conjunction with other state and local agencies, formulate questionnaires of specific concerns and assist the populous in any manner possible.

First, as a non-profit organization, RAGE can not allow itself to be used in any way as a political or financial “stepping stone” for any individual.

Secondly, no individual shall make press interviews or press releases without the committee’s consent, but rather through the committee public relations person for RAGE.

Anyone seated on a permanent committee may be assured that they have not “won” anything except hard, dedicated work and a sense of pride in serving our community.

Thank you,

Alan Turnbull
Coordinator
RAGE Organization


OUTLINE OF PURPOSE

1. Set up committees to acquire information on the following concerns:
   1. Issues relating to Health Problems
   2. Issues relating to Real Estate Values
   3. Issues relating to Legal Action
2. Obtain legal counsel to act on our behalf, relevant to our findings.
3. Partition Village, County, State and possibly Federal assistance for Health and Property issues.
4. Pursue liability issues along with negligence issues.
5. Make IBM and any other known firms or establishments pay for all aspects of clean-up, including the water scrubbers for village wells and ventilation of all structures deemed to be above safe guidelines for human habitation.

STEERING COMMITTEE OBJECTIVES

1. Form permanent committees for investigative work in the following categories:
   • Health related issues
   • Estate value issues
   • Legal action issues (One professional relating to that heading and one resident)
2. “Top 20” list of questions and objectives for the various committees to resolve.
3. Obtain legal counsel to act on behalf of the village residents, relevant to our findings.
4. Drafting of a questionnaire addressing health concerns for Village residents in and around the suspected “Spill Zone”.
5. Drafting of distribution flyers and progress reports from RAGE to residents as information becomes available.
6. Establish our own website. This will enable the RAGE Organization to update “new” information not only for those in our area, but also ex-residents who may have moved. The website will have links to many Federal, State and Local organizations associated with this contamination matter.
7. Formulate a plan for future “seminar type” open public meetings with guest speakers, relevant to obtaining our overall goals, and addressing various aspects pertinent to the contamination.

PERMANENT COMMITTEES OUTLINE

1. Health Issues:
   1. Past and present health situations
   2. Long range effects on the populous
   3. Interpretation of various agencies reports
2. Real Estate Values:
   1. Property owner, dwellings
   2. Landlord responsibilities
   3. Tax and assessment issues
3. Legal Options
   1. Recourse information for resident/property owners
   2. Interpretation of legal “new ground” issues, long term consequences and resident rights already on the legal statutes
   3. Proposals on procedures
4. Subcommittees
   1. Investigative Obtain any and all reliable, and verifiable information which will assist any and all committees
   2. Political Action Obtain any help we may be able to get in financing and political support
   3. Business owners voice to all committees
   4. Coordination for guest speakers
   5. Public and Media advisor, news brief releases
   6. Resident volunteer workers coordinator
   7. Committee secretary
   8. Teachers
   9. Religious leaders
   10. Business leaders

Also, in the long range scheme of things that the permanent committees known collectively as: Resident Action Group of Endicott (RAGE) will hold open meetings to the public with guest speakers in a seminar forum.

That all news briefs and media releases come from the “RAGE” PR advisor, and not from committee individuals. From time to time informational news releases in the way of progress reports will be released from each committee i.e.: Health, Political, Subcommittees, etc.

Health Concerns:

1. Create a comprehensive questionnaire regarding health issues for the past: 5 yrs, 10 yrs, and 15 yrs as well as children’s health concerns. The questionnaire is for the purpose of a door to door campaign to isolate the Village from County or State statistics.
2. Environmental impact in general on the community residents. Make a report on same, and give updates when possible.
3. Long range effects on residents, as well as past residents that have moved out of the immediate area.

Real Estate Values:

1. Establish what impact the toxic spill has been on property values now, as opposed to the values of the same properties two years ago, or at least before the SPILL was known.
2. The question of taxes should be addressed, if property value is reduced, will tax assessments be reduced to reflect this.
3. If the Village looses income from assessment taxes, how would those tax monies be recouped? Would the Village have recourse for legal action against IBM?
4. Would IBM be responsible for the loss in the matter of a property sale. (i.e.: property valued at $80,000.00, but owner can only get $45,000.0 now. What recourse would the owner have?

Legal Options:

1. Develop a plan on how to best proceed on legal matters pertaining to individual health matters.
2. How to recoup property value losses, etc.
3. Overall assessment of the present Village situation in combination with other IBM related contamination sites.
4. Anything and everything that you deem important in advice to the benefit of the Village Residents.

SUBCOMMITTEES

Political Action:

1. Get State and County politicians involved with active assistance.
2. Investigate the possibility of obtaining money availability to “citizen’s movement groups. We need monies for; printing, mailing telephone, and website costs.
3. Rattle the cages in Albany if possible.
4. Determine if “mass mailings” would help our cause.

Research:

1. Obtain any available data to date, which is of value to any of the committees.
2. Be sure that all data/information is reliable and verifiable.
3. Obtain data from other related contaminated sites, and how that information would be of use to us.
4. Data relating to the findings in Hillcrest, NY.

Environmental:

1. Evaluate all available data concerning the spill matter, IBM, DEC, EPA, etc.
2. Request that you be updated by government and state agencies and be notified of any new developments.
3. Ask questions, and be determined to get answers to your questions directly associated with the communities concerns.

Community:

1. Consisting of some of the most important and influential people in the community.
   1. Teachers
   2. Religious Leaders
   3. Small Business Owners
2. Address the issues directly relating to their particular field of expertise, and make reports on these issues to the populous.