Saturday, May 19, 2012

Police academy to be built on contaminated soil


From the Times Ledger:

Construction crews are currently working on the College Point Police Academy project near the Whitestone Expressway, but civic leaders said the city has not lived up to promises about handling contaminated soil on the site.

The NYPD’s new digs will eventually consolidate many training facilities from around the city into an1.8-million-square-foot academy in the College Point Corporate Park.

A consultant for the city has determined that the soil at the project site is made up of contaminated fill material further tainted by petroleum spills.

The city and its contractors are following state regulations to reuse some of that contaminated soil as fill material on the site, but members of Community Board 7 contend they were told all the contaminated soil would be removed.

The NYPD disputed that claim, saying that no specific measures were discussed prior to CB 7 giving the green light.

In a 2009 environmental impact study on the site, a consulting firm hired by the city confirmed the widespread presence of metals, including arsenic, incinerator waste and semi-volatile compounds. Lead, PCBs and other toxic compounds were found in isolated areas along with contaminates accumulated from nearly 100 years of dumping leftover construction debris on the site, which is roughly between College Point Boulevard, Ulmer Street and 28th Avenue.

CB 7 unanimously approved the project in 2009, but according to board members they were told by the NYPD that all excavated contaminated material would be taken away.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

"CB 7 unanimously approved the project in 2009, but according to board members they were told by the NYPD that all excavated contaminated material would be taken away."
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Anybody have a tape of that???

Anonymous said...

Make 'em tear it DOWN!!!!

Anonymous said...

So where is the stop work order?

Officer Krupkie said...

It'll become even more contaminated if it will include a shooting range.

Lead and fulimate of mercury:
That's what bullets contain.

Anonymous said...

As long as the contaminated soil isn't being dumped in Chuck Apelian's little cul de sac nabe...why should anyone at CB#7 give a damn!

And it ain't winding up in
Gene Kelty's back yard either.

Hey,
this is College Point...
the asshole of northeast Queens.

Anonymous said...

Did CB7 not have a problem with the contaminated soil before when it was just the NYPD pound? Seems like they're only upset about the contamination now that the project is actually happening.

Anonymous said...

If you had bothered to really read the article, you would have understood that they were told the soil would be removed and their support of the project was based on the promise that it would be.

Anonymous said...

But why was there no problem with the soil before or with the rest of the cesspool that college point is? This piece of land is such a small piece of the toxic soup in CP. How about the airport, which is much closer to residences than this site?

This may be a broken promise, but it's such an insignificant part of the bigger problem.

Anonymous said...

Is the health of the construction workers at the site in jeopardy? What about THAT issue???

Anonymous said...

Is the health of the construction workers at the site in jeopardy? What about THAT issue???

If their union(s) isn't fighting for the safety of the soil, then I bet it's not that big a deal. You know if there was the smallest hint of danger the unions would put a stop to any work ASAP.

Anonymous said...

If their union(s) isn't fighting for the safety of the soil, then I bet it's not that big a deal. You know if there was the smallest hint of danger the unions would put a stop to any work ASAP.
-------------------------------------------------------

Seriously? Are YOU that much of an expert? And union officials would never take a bribe to look the other way? And what about the police cadets and employees of the facility? Who's looking out for them?

Anonymous said...

"If their union(s) isn't fighting for the safety of the soil..."

I guess the safety of the soil is more important than people!

Anonymous said...

Looks like New York's Finest will become the Toxic Avengers!!!

Anonymous said...

Big deal! They've got a union. It should be closing this operation or at least picketing the facility, but of course not while their union buddies are still working on it and spending taxpayers money.

Andrew said...

If anyone else was doing this the Department of Environmental Conservation would be closing them down.