The following letter has been distributed to residential property owners in the affected area.
Dear property owner,
Your property in Little Rock, Arkansas, is part of a small residential area that is located above deep groundwater contamination originating from property formerly leased by Timex at the nearby Little Rock National Airport.
Timex made watches and cameras in a facility located on property leased from the airport between 1947 and 2000. During that time, employees used various cleaning solutions (“solvents”) in the manufacturing process that migrated into the soil and groundwater on the property.
These solvents have migrated from the former Timex site and are present in groundwater that is more than 30 feet under the surface of some properties in your neighborhood.
The groundwater in the affected residential area is not currently used for any purpose and there are no plans to use this water in the future. The substances in the groundwater (the solvents) do not present any risk to your health or your property, as long as the groundwater is not used.
The water that is provided to your property by the water utility has no connection to the groundwater under your property. The drinking water is safe and not affected because it is provided by a municipal water utility and originates from Lake Maumelle. This utility routinely tests drinking water to ensure quality.
The soil on your property also is not affected.
Timex has voluntarily taken responsibility for investigating and addressing the substances in the groundwater. By working closely with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), Timex has developed an action plan for remediation. These efforts will take place on Airport property – which Timex believes is the source of the substances in the groundwater underneath your property. Timex signed an agreement with ADEQ on February 24, 2014, to begin the cleanup. The remediation activities will not have any direct or noticeable impacts on your property.
Timex is committed to making things right with owners of residential properties in the affected area. As such, Timex wants to ensure that such owners are fairly compensated. Timex is offering several options to the property owners whose property is located in the affected area:
1. Timex is offering to purchase residential properties in the affected area for the appraised value assigned by Pulaski County. In addition to the appraised value, Timex will pay additional amounts to owners who choose to sell their properties, as follows: (a) for owners of properties that include a residential home, Timex additionally will pay $3,000 to compensate such owners for moving expenses; (b) for owners of vacant lots only, Timex will additionally pay $1,000. Timex will cover all reasonable closing costs.
2. For homeowners who wish to take advantage of Timex’s purchase offer, but do not wish to move, Timex is offering to lease back the property to the homeowner at fair market rent. Timex will not offer $3,000 to these homeowners, but as additional compensation, Timex will charge no rent during the six months following the sale.
3. For those property owners that do not want to sell their property, Timex is offering to pay such owners 30 percent of the appraised property value assigned by Pulaski County in exchange for a deed restriction on the property that prevents the use of groundwater and a release of property damage claims.
These offers are purely optional; you are not required to sell you property or relocate. There is no risk to staying on your property, so long as you do not use the groundwater. These offers are made as a measure of good faith, and are not intended to be a representation of any damage to your property. In the event that a residential property purchased by Timex is occupied by a tenant, Timex will work with the tenant to see if it is possible to enter into a new lease after the sale closes.
Timex also will seek an ordinance from the City of Little Rock to ensure that the groundwater is not used and that no groundwater wells are drilled. These measures will protect people from inadvertently using the groundwater in the future.
We have provided a map of the affected area, a list of “Questions & Answers”, and a fact sheet that provide more detailed information. Additional information about the site is available for public review at ADEQ’s Record Management Section, located at 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72118.
Timex will host a town hall meeting on March 13, 2014 at 6 p.m. at the East Little Rock Community Center at 2500 E. 6th Street for residents and property owners who have any questions or would like more information.
If you have questions or concerns, if you would like to accept one of Timex’s offers, or if you would like to discuss your specific circumstances, please call 501-218-8995.
Sincerely,
David Payne
Vice President
Timex Group USA, Inc.