By Paul Tuthill
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-978256.mp3
Springfield, MA – A coalition of groups funded by a small grant from the US EPA is attempting to identify environmental issues that negatively impact people's health in Massachusetts's third largest city..WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports
The North End neighborhood of Springfield doesn't have a toxic waste dump or a factory belching smoke into the sky, but it does have a Pioneer Valley Transit Authority diesel bus garage smack in the middle of a residential area. It was one of several so-called structural problems that were pointed out Tuesday during a tour..
Tom Taaffe is chairman of the Pioneer Valley Asthma Coalition, which along with Springfield Partners for a Healthy Community obtained an 84 thousand dollar grant from the EPA to identify top environmental problems and then perhaps get more money to try and solve the problems.
Educators, urban planners, community organizers, health care advocates and a think tank are also in on the project.
About fifty people toured the North End on foot and by bicycle. Aron Goldman of the Springfield Institute pointed to an elementary school that is built below ground and prone to mold and poor air quality. There are highway ramps and bridges that are difficult to navigate on foot, or bike..A wall separates the neighborhood from a bike path along the Connecticut river..
The neighborhood, which is predominately Hispanic, also has a liquor store and a McDonalds, two sources of concern to Al Hubert, a participant in an initiative called Men of Color Health Awareness..or MOCHA..
Springfield City Council President Jose Tosado grew up in the North End.
Positives such as a community garden and a fitness center for senior citizens.