The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page A19

2nd TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009 A19 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR INDYSTAR.COM Dogs The hesitant Great Dane 'doesn't know he's From A15 trepidation, cowering and trying with little success to hide in his owner's lap. "He doesn't know he's big," giggled Anna Przybysz, 26. Deacon, a 9-month-old German shepherd from Noblesville, arrived with his friend and neighbor, a 3-year-old Rottweiler named Buster. The dogs play together in a kiddie pool at Deacon's house, said his owner, 19-year-old Blaine Mallaber. When Mallaber heard about the doggy pool event, he figured his puppy was old enough for the deep end.

Carmel's Monon Center also invites dogs to dress up for Halloween, participate in an Easter egg hunt and take pictures with Santa. Last year's Doggie Dayz saw 350 dogs and their owners. "They always tell their friends, and then we get more and more," MATT KRYGER The Star MOST EVER: This year's turnout of about 400 dogs was the most ever at the annual pool party, said Sarah Carling, special events supervisor. also managed to get her 4-year-old terrier, Annie, into the water but only by going in first. The dog hesitated, then trotted in after her owner.

"This is a fun thing for dogs to get to do," Snyder, 49, said as she splashed her toes in the pool. "And for dog people, too." Call Star reporter Heather Gillers at (317) 444-6405. considering mandating that all employees receive both vaccinations, said Lee Ann Blue, the hospital's chief nursing officer and executive vice president for patient services. Uncertainties about when the H1N1 vaccine will be available and in what quantities may prevent the hospital from taking that step, she said. Staff will dispense vaccines to ensure neither convenience nor cost influence an employee's decision not to be vaccinated.

"This isn't just to protect them. It's to protect them, their families, and ultimately to protect all of the families that they take care of," said Dr. Clif Knight, interim chief medical officer for Community Health Network. Preparations also involve stockpiling supplies. St.

Francis Hospital and Health Systems normally keeps a three-month supply of gowns, gloves and other inventory to protect against flu infection. Now, it has a six-month supply, amounting to thousands of surgical masks alone, said Susan McRoberts, vice president and chief nursing officer. Many health centers have posted signs to halt the spread of flu. Hand sanitizers fill waiting rooms. Emergency departments and outpatient clinics have established separate sitting areas for those with flu-like symptoms.

Those patients may be asked to don face masks. Bracing for the worst, other hospitals have identified where more beds could go. For now, hospitals here think they're primed to handle what the fall and winter bring. "We see this as just another threat that we're prepared for," said Dr. Bob Lubitz, vice president of academic affairs and research at St.

Vincent Health. "This one happens to be infectious, but it could be just about anything, and we're ready." Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Hospitals Sites are ready to work together to meet needs. From A15 About 11 percent of those who fell ill would be hospitalized, and about 7.5 percent of those would need ventilation, it assumed. The report found the state's hospitals needed almost 1,000 more ventilators to handle that load.

They were also more than a million units short when it came to gloves, surgical masks and a type of fitted mask that protects hospital personnel. The association is redoing the analysis, and local hospitals have taken steps to boost the number of ventilators they have. Some hospital systems, such as Community and St. Vincent, have moved old ventilators into storage as they have been replaced. If an outbreak occurs, those extra machines would go back into service.

Other hospitals, including those of Wishard Health Services and Clarian, would rent additional ventilators if needed, officials said. Hospitals should not count on those ventilators being available if the flu attacks people severely nationwide, said Jeanne Ringel, a senior economist with Rand Corp. Unlike a natural disaster that would hit in one area, a disease outbreak would strain resources across the land. "Hospitals are going to need to build the surge capacity to deal with an influx of patients on their own." Nevertheless, IHA Vice President Spencer Grover said the state's hospitals will work together. This year, hospitals are stepping up efforts to encourage workers to get flu shots.

Studies suggest only about 40 percent of health-care workers receive seasonal flu shots. Wishard Health Services is THOSE RASCALLY DOWNTOWN PROJECTS Carling said. Nik Karklins, 13, Carmel, already is planning to bring Dallas back next year, after the 3-year-old German shepherd mastered a dog paddle within minutes. At first, Nik said, "she was nervous. She wasn't positive about the water.

Then we threw the ball in." Janie Snyder, Indianapolis, 12 miles North St. WhiteRiver South St. Cultural Trail route Bike VENTILATORS AND VACCINATIONS Here's how many ventilators local hospitals have in the event of a bad flu season and the percentage of employees who get vaccinated against flu. Most hospitals would be able to rent or borrow more ventilators if necessary. Nationwide, about 40 percent of health-care providers receive flu shots.

Sources: Indianapolis Cultural Trail, ESRI, TeleAtlas Hospital system Ventilators Employee vaccination rate Clarian Downtown hospitals 380 70 percent Community Health Network 57 45 percent St. Francis Not available 62 percent St. Vincent 135 to 150 About 55 percent Wishard 40 About 60 percent SUPPLIES LACKING FOR A PANDEMIC A 2008 survey by the Indiana Hospital Association found these gaps in preparation for a pandemic flu outbreak: added, and some intersection work is being done. Minor projects that also are causing traffic problems include: 5 SOUTH ALABAMA STREET Restrictions due to utility work. 6 SOUTH CAPITOL AVENUE Restrictions throughout this month due to Convention Center work, art project removal and inlet repairs.

7 NORTH DELAWARE STREET Restrictions through Nov. 4 to relocate water mains. 8 SOUTH DELAWARE Restric Item Stockpiled Estimated need Gap Gowns 306,372 2,881,756 2,575,384 Latex-free gloves 10,472,621 11,527,024 1,054,403 Surgical masks 2,008,934 3,087,596 1,078,662 Ventilators 5,465 6,433 968 ABOUT THE SITE Ertel Manufacturing Corp. had a large operation for decades at 2045 Dr. Andrew J.

Brown Ave. in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, but its abandonment of the site more than six years ago left a mess, the city says. By Dan McFeely dan.mcfeelyindystar.com Here is a snapshot look at some of the Downtown projects that could cause traffic snags: 1 PROJECT OPEN MARKET Just east of Downtown, the removal of the Market Street ramp to 1-65 and touch-up work around a new interchange at Washington Street continue to cause some restrictions on Market, Washington, Pine and Division streets. This $22 million project should be completed by November. 2 CULTURAL TRAIL Various projects across Downtown are under way as part of this neighborhood-connecting project.

The three-year job calls for a new urban path for bicycles and pedestrians connecting Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Mass The Canal area and Wholesale District. Project completion is November 2010. 3 BIKE LANES A $209,000 project is squeezing in designated lanes for bicyclists along Michigan and New York streets, along with some new sidewalk ramps. These two bike corridors set apart with painted lines will extend from White River Parkway to Arlington Avenue. 4 ILLINOIS STREET PROJECT A $1.6 million resurfacing project from Washington Street to 16th Street is nearing the end.

Completion is expected by November. Illinois is being resurfaced, bike lanes are being nants, including Anna Carter's, just north on Arsenal Avenue. Her yard had high levels of lead, she said, but nothing more has been done. "They still are not saying anything," said Carter, 59. She and others worry about the risks of planting gardens or letting children play outside.

A few years ago, National Lead's successor, NL Industries, paid for testing of hundreds of yards near the old smelter, which led to soil being replaced in dozens, under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's watch. Goal: "clean bill of health" Mayes, the city attorney, said the city plans to ask Keele's court to consider the costs of further monitoring in the area as part of Ertel's liability. He said the city wants to earn "a clean bill of health" from state and federal environmental regulators. Removing the contamination source underneath the Ertel site already has reduced lead levels elsewhere considerably, Mayes said.

The city's Department of Metropolitan Development has Walnut St. a Market St. Washington St. 0 lanes The Star tions through Sept. 11 for steam main repair.

9 EAST STREET Restrictions through Oct. 31 for basin replacement for United Water. 10 MONUMENT CIRCLE Restrictions for brick paving repair from Monument Circle, Meridian Street, Market Street and City Market. For a complete list of current projects, updated weekly, go to www.indy.goveGovCityDPW RoadClosings Pageshome, aspx Call Star reporter Dan McFeely at (317) 444-6253. ORIGINS: The site was developed for rail car manufacturing in the 1870s and was used by Atlas Engine Works for decades.

In 1917, Ertel Manufacturing Corp. began making auto parts, later focusing on valve guides and other engine components for automobiles and planes. Illinois-based Dynagear Inc. purchased Ertel in 1998, and Ertel continued using the site until 2002, when Dynagear filed for bankruptcy. CLEANUP EFFORTS: The U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency removed chemicals and asbestos from the property in an emergency action in 2006. Working with the Indiana Brownfields Program and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the city of Indianapolis took over the site through tax foreclosure in July 2007. Demolition of the structures and removal of 55,217 tons, or 2,915 truckloads, of soil contaminated with lead, chemicals and solvents took four months. machining company had been considering moving to Ohio, city officials said. Charles Mitchum, 51, stood in his front yard last week on Columbia Avenue, with Major Tool's new building visible behind the double he shares with his cousin.

He worked at Ertel's foundry as a parts inspector and a janitor. "It was an eyesore," he said of the old Ertel building. "It's better to look at now. The way they keep building, they are not having an economic crisis." Call Star reporter Jon Murray at (317) 444-2752. REMOVING BLIGHT FROM NEIGHBORHOOD An environmental cleanup project resulted in the demolition of the former Ertel Manufacturing Corp.

building and the removal of more than 55,000 tons of contaminated soil. Cleanup site 22nd St. MATT KRYGER The Star HEALTH FEARS: Frankie Casel-Baker, who has a beauty shop above her Sangster Avenue garage, worries about the effects of contamination. 21st St. 20th St.

19th St. 17th St. I 16th St. "2 i5th st. i Cleanup Martindale-Brightwood has an industrial past.

From A15 trial businesses and churches in the working-class neighborhood northeast of Downtown Indianapolis. But Martindale-Brightwood's industrial history leaves a legacy of brownfields, a term commonly used to describe sites that are unused, underused or contaminated. The city's cleanup two years ago razed the former Ertel facilities. Trucks hauled out more than 55,000 tons of soil contaminated with the lead, solvents and chemicals that for decades had seeped into groundwater and spread toward area homes. Ertel produced valve guides and other engine parts for automobiles beginning in 1917, but it had abandoned the site by 2002 as its parent company faced bankruptcy.

City officials think contaminants leaked or were spilled for decades. Jon Mayes, the city's chief litigation counsel, said the foundry at one time had dirt floors. When the city took over the site, old insurance documents found inside provided a legal avenue to seek collection of an estimated $5 million in assessment and cleanup costs. In a key ruling Aug. 20, Judge Michael Keele found Ertel liable under Indiana's environmental legal action statute; he has not yet assessed costs.

Residents watching closely Residents have kept pressure on the city, and the Martindale-Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative, formed five years ago, is working closely with Chris Harrell, the Department of Metropolitan Development's brownfields coordinator. 14 mile The Star COST: The city estimates the costs of environmental assessment and cleanup at roughly $5 million, with a portion paid by federal and state grants but the bulk covered through financing. WHAT'S NEXT A Marion County judge has ruled that Ertel is liable for the contamination, and a hearing is expected to allocate the costs of the cleanup. Sources: Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development, court documents Elizabeth Gore, chairwoman of the neighborhood group, said the city's more recent responsiveness has been welcome after years of delays in cleaning up other area brownfields. The Ertel cleanup "was a step that gave the community hope that someone in the city was paying attention to us," said Gore, who also is a member of the Indianapolis Public School Board.

Visual reminders of Ertel are gone, but some residents still worry about lingering contamination from the facility as well as from lead cleanup sites, including the former National Lead smelter off Hillside Avenue and a field nearby where children once played baseball. They wonder about links when they learn a neighbor has cancer. Casel-Baker, who lives on Sangster Avenue, lost two husbands to cancer, though she thinks the likelihood of a connection is slim. Residents in other parts of Indianapolis and the state live with similar concerns. The Indiana Brownfields Program this month listed more than 800 sites that were receiving assistance.

Many yards near the Ertel site have been tested for contami brownfield projects in several areas, particularly old gas stations and dry-cleaning plants. "Our ultimate goal is to have these sites redeveloped," said Maury Plambeck, the department's director, noting many of the brownfields are in urban neighborhoods in need of economic development. After the Ertel cleanup ended in November 2007, the city turned the site over to Major Tool for a $20 million expansion that included a plant and plans to create 50 or more jobs. The fabrication and.