LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Over 200 Clifton neighborhood residents packed into a room so they could come face-to-face with Givaudan's leader for the first time since the plant exploded, killing two employees.
Givaudan's President Ann Leonard addressed the room, saying she was "very sorry and beyond heartbroken" for what happened at the plant.
Then, she gave the news many Clifton neighbors has been waiting and hoping for.
"While we don't know exactly what the future holds for our current site, please know we are looking at and prioritizing other locations to continue our operations going forward," said Leonard.
The Givaudan plant on Payne Street may be relocated.
"We hear you, we are listening to you," said Leonard.
The company's president said Givaudan will cover the costs of home repairs and engineers hired by homeowners to assess the damage the explosion had on homes.
Some residents expressed frustrations with the lack of response from the hotline number given to them for damage, which goes through a third-party company called Belfor.
"There's a good number of folks who have already been contacted; if you haven't, you should be contacted in the next day or two," said Leonard.
Still, residents showed a lack of trust in Givaudan.
"Nobody wants to buy a house next to an exploding factory!" shouted one resident.
District 9 Metro Councilperson Andrew Owen mediated the discussion, telling residents it's okay for them to feel scared and anxious.
In a room full of watchful eyes, he asked Leonard to set up time to meet with residents one-on-one.
"Somebody that somebody can come talk to and ask questions?" Owen asked.
"Absolutely," Leonard responded.
Givaudan agreed to hold office-hours-type meetings at the United Crescent Hill Ministries, in what Owen called progress.
"Where you can come and meet with a representative of the company and talk to them specifically about your issues," said Owen.
But, one of the questions left unanswered Monday night, was when those meetings will take place.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or X feed.