Tuesday will be an important day for Butler South Side residents. It will be a day when people living in that area presumably will be presented a clearer picture of the arsenic contamination that has been discovered from operations of the former Franklin Glass Co.

Representatives of the state Department of Environmental Protection will meet with residents between 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the Center Avenue Elementary School. This will be a meeting residents should make the effort to attend.

People on the South Side have been patient up to now as the DEP has done further soil testing, enabling it to update initial findings. And, based on the latest information from the state agency, more testing must be conducted. DEP says that collection of additional soil samples will focus on the area of the Franklin Court Apartments and Father Marinaro Park athletic fields, the area in which the Franklin Glass plant had been located before ceasing operations in 1955.

Remains of the glass plant structures were cleared in the early 1970s after a July 5, 1972, fire at the site.

Arsenic was used by Franklin Glass to remove bubbles from molten glass. Testing for arsenic contamination wasn't required by any government agency or organization at the time of the plant's closing or when the plant's remains were removed.

Perhaps on Tuesday residents will be apprised of how much additional testing must be carried out, as well as given a tentative timetable for the completion of tests and completion of a plan of action for dealing with the contamination, first identified in soil samples collected by a DEP worker in connection with a rails-to-trails project.

Based on the high-arsenic-levels findings from the initial samples, it seems unlikely that the area will receive a clean bill of health from the state agency anytime soon.

Regardless of what lies ahead, it's important that residents have a full understanding of the situation. And, there's no better way of acquiring that understanding than by attending Tuesday's meeting and speaking to DEP officials face to face.

"We've made progress during the past month and we look forward to updating residents about what's been done and what lies ahead," said Kelly Burch, DEP regional director.

The meeting will be similar to a meeting held May 6 at Center Elementary — a meeting at which DEP detailed its initial findings.

At next week's meeting, residents shouldn't be shy about asking questions, particularly about arsenic's possible long-term health impacts and what health studies might be planned in connection with the Franklin Glass situation.

Residents' concerns should be eased as much as possible without providing any unwarranted optimism that might later be judged as just wishful thinking.

Throughout the time since this troubling situation surfaced, DEP has merited praise for its openness with the people. Tuesday apparently will continue that positive public information commitment.

For the people of the South Side, there cannot be too much information about the arsenic problem and what the state decides must be done to completely address it.