Alameda voters must weigh several issues — among them, cleaning up Alameda Point — when considering whether to sign the petition that could allow the Alameda Point initiative on November's ballot. Rhetoric and misinformation have blurred the line between the former owner's and the possible future owner's responsibilities to make the Point clean and livable. One side claims that the city is stuck with the contaminants once the Navy leaves; the other says that the Navy will return and fix any contaminants the city later discovers. Neither side is correct. The truth lies somewhere in proper paperwork and the city's due diligence.

The Navy is responsible for cleaning all that lies underground, especially the plumes -areas filled with built-up contaminants. If SunCal takes over the property it would be responsible for cleaning all aboveground improvements.

SunCal's Pat Keliher summed it up nicely. "This is a two-phase cleanup — underground and vertical," he said. The first phase would be completed when the Navy conveys the title to the city; the second would not begin until the city conveys the title to SunCal.

The Navy learned early that cleaning what lies "underground" would be a challenge. Alameda Vice Mayor Doug deHaan recalls the day — about 10 years before the base closed — that the Navy realized that Alameda Point might not play a role in its future plans. In 1987 the Navy intended to sink pilings for an upcoming project, deHaan says. They took a core sample of the soil, saw the contaminants and decided to cancel the project. "The core revealed problems in the soil and changed the whole complex. Contamination on the base spurred its closure," he said. And the pilings? According to deHaan, they are still on the Point and have found a mundane aboveground use as tire stops in a parking lot.

In a recent interview, Keliher spoke of his company's responsibilities, assuming the city assigns his company the right to own and ultimately develop land at the Point. He explained that his company's cleanup responsibilities lie with the property's infrastructure, which includes buildings with their paint, drywall, asbestos, tile and wiring.

Once the Navy reports that it has finished cleaning up Alameda Point, it is the city's responsibility to make certain that the property is cleanly conveyed. "The city will act diligently," Councilman Frank Matarrese, also a member of the Alameda Reuse and Redevelop-ment Authority, said. "Inspections will be done and disclosures signed." He pointed out that the Navy is not required to clean the entire Point to residential standards, however. They will only clean certain properties to this higher standard. The rest will be cleaned to "industrial standards."

"Plumes don't know parcel boundaries, though," Matarrese said. He mentioned buying insurance that might cover instances when industrially cleaned soil crept into residential areas. He also mentioned building vapor barriers to control outgassing, chemicals creeping from the industrially cleaned to the residentially cleaned areas.

When the city is satisfied that the underground cleanup is finished, it will take ownership of the property from the Navy; only then can SunCal step in and perform the vertical cleanup. But that depends on enough Alameda voters signing the petition to get the Alameda Point initiative on November's ballot and on enough voters approving the ballot measure.

Despite the rhetoric, the Navy plays no role in cleaning any structures on Alameda Point, and SunCal would play no role in cleaning up anything found underground. Knowing this leads to a better understanding of the issue and a more-informed choice when it comes to signing the ballot initiative now or voting for the measure if it is on the ballot in November.