Time passes so very fast sometimes. To Gary, it seemed like one moment he was a young child enjoying the freedom from obligations to anyone but his parents and then in a heartbeat he was grown up. He was now doing his best to meet the expectations of an adult world. His dad always told him, “with freedom comes responsibility.” It was so true. Even though dad had passed away 10 years ago, Gary often reflected on the wisdom his father had tried to convey.
Gary spent every morning reading the Democrat and Chronicle. This was one of his joys in his life. As he read, he one article in particular caught his eye. It became apparent that his vivid memories of those dead polliwogs on that bright spring day and the colored film on the creek, in 1967, may have been more significant than he had ever anticipated. His hometown, the place of his birth had faced some turbulent times with environmental issues.

After reading an article about hazardous waste spills in an industrial area of Brockport, Gary said to his wife, "Look at this article. There is something going on in Brockport that may affect the town people and their property values.

Gary's wife, Rosie responded, "Did you grow up anywhere near the companies that polluted the stream that they are talking about?"

Gary said, "I think we lived upstream from the pollution but I'm not sure. I don't know which way the groundwater would move, either. I wonder if the groundwater is contaminated, too?"

The infamous lawyers that had represented Erin Brakovich were now in town researching and proclaiming that there had been major pollution in the area which would affect property values and may pose a threat to community health.

Gary thought aloud, “Where can I get more information about the pollution and how will I know if my family might be at risk of suffering health difficulties from exposure to these hazardous wastes? I wonder if this has anything to do with dad getting stomach cancer? It seems like the community would have a right access everything that companies, the health department and the EPA know about this pollution since it closely affects the people who live in Brockport.”

Rosie heard Gary mumbling and responded, “I think that there are community meetings that are being held at the public library and there are people from some agencies in the government that oversee things. Why don’t you call someone in town to find out about them?”