MIDDLESBORO — A recent chemical spill at Smithfield’s Middlesboro plant (formerly Cumberland Gap Provisions) that polluted the city and wiped out all of the canal’s fish prompted several citizens to speak up at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Middlesboro teacher David Mike, along with several others, asked the council to help protect residents from another spill.

“I’m here as a concerned parent, citizen, and neighbor ... I’m here for awareness and to ask for your help,” said Mike. “Probably not that much would have been said about this last leak of ammonia at the plant had not all the fish died in the canal. According to a lot of the reports, it made it sound like this was one of the few times a leak had occurred at Cumberland Gap Provisions due to the construction going on. It is not the first time that leaks have taken place at the plant.”

Mike continued, adding that the company is a benefit to the area.

“Cumberland Gap Provision is a great employer in our community. As a teacher in this system, they’ve always been very supportive of all of the civic clubs and any school events that we have.”

“I’m asking them to step up to be a better corporate neighbor to the people that live close to their plants. When this last leak occurred, we would have never known about it had not a sister-in-law smelled it. We had another bad leak in 2007 and we’re asking for the council to work with Cumberland Gap Provision to make people more aware of the dangers of this liquid when it does leak. We’re asking for some kind of warning device so the people in the neighborhood can know when leaks occur so we know how to ... evacuate when it does take place.”

Mike said that many of his family and neighbors are especially vulnerable to the anhydrous ammonia leak.

“My own children have bad respiratory problems, asthma, and it can destroy a respiratory system,” said Mike. He added that two people in his neighborhood, one a neighbor of council member Gary Mills, have “very bad respiratory problems.” He said the woman was at home alone when the leak occurred.

“She could not have evacuated if she had to,” said Mike.

“Basically, I’m asking the council members to work with Cumberland Gap Provision to see if we can develop some kind of plan when this occurs again, how we can warn the neighbors and safely evacuate.”

Tracy Barnett then explained to the council and the public that anhydrous ammonia can cause blindness and lung damage.

“I love Middlesboro ... I’ve got friends that work at Cumberland Gap Provision. But who’s going to protect them? Please work with them and get them to work out some warning system, a signal, an alarm, a call system. Somehow, so we can sleep at night.”

There was no response from the mayor or council regarding Mike and Barnett’s request.

In other business, Mills said that the public needed to know that when they pay someone to cut their limbs, it’s up to those people have the debris removed — not the city.

“If it’s an older person who cuts their own, we’ll try to help out,” said Mills. He said that the public can dump the limbs at a dump site at no charge. The site is located near the old sewage treatment center. To get to the site, you turn at the entrance to Jim Brown Supply, but take the road between Jim Brown Supply and the Greenhills Cemetery office to the dump site. Mills said the public could either do that or pay someone to haul it off.