When NBC Action News reporter Russ Ptacek embarked on his ambitious investigation into sick workers on the General Services Administration property of the Bannister Federal Complex, he started by filing Freedom of Information Act requests. In response, Ptacek received more than 10,000 pages of government documents, which currently blanket his desk and overflow onto a folding table in the hallway outside his closet-sized office.
Ptacek exposed the fact that GSA officials knew of the sick workers' complaints long before they denied knowledge of such claims in his interviews.
Amusingly, some of the documents received through the FOIA request include e-mails between GSA officials as they discuss how to deal with Ptacek's investigation.
On November 5, 2009, Sharon Henry, the acting regional commissioner of the GSA's Federal Acquisition Service, sent an e-mail with the subject line "News story working on DFAS Cancer rates in Bldg" to Michael Brincks, then the acting regional administrator of the GSA's Heartland Region. The e-mailed text is as follows:
This is setting up to be a PR nightmare for the Bannister Complex when this breaks. People who know this already are asking to move out of their workspace. Union will probably file "unsafe working conditions." I think PBS should start an environmental study to determine if there are toxins as alleged.
I'm not sure what day it will run, but I don't think it will air on Sunday. I think this station shoots for Mondays and Thursdays, but I can't confirm anything. They did an investigation on leaving lights on at public buildings a while back. They worked on that story for three weeks, then called us for comment the day it ran. I suspect the same thing will happen with this investigation. They will have the story ready to go before they even ask for our side of the story.
We finished up about 45 minutes ago. Overall I thought it went pretty well -- think the case was made that the GSA space at Bannister is safe. He pressed me hard and repeatedly on what GSA was going to do with the list of 90+ people on the draft congressional letter -- were we just going to sit back and do nothing, aren't we going to contact them? - I said we would not contact them as we don't know if many of these folks even know their names are on the list etc etc... ... but we would encourage folks who felt they had an issue with the safety of GSA space to contact GSA. I'm thinking we provide the RA office number and we will direct to our PBS Health & Safety staff...Ptacek tells The Pitch, "The cruel irony is that this inside discussion of the GSA's plan to keep this information from the press is being sent to me."
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Russ by shear accident I received a letter in my mail for a Marge Larrick, when I opened it I found out she had worked down on Bannister.I went to her apartment and told her I was sorry I had opened her letter. I ask her if she had filed a deal. She said she had not been contacted.She is in very poor health. I told her I would try and contact someone to give her information. She lives at Carnegie Village 107 Bernard Dr. Apt# B-125, Belton, Mo. 64012. I am in the process of moving in there myself. My Apt. is just one door down from hers B-123. I will be there 2 June, my computer will be down until around 6 June. Thanks Nadine
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