More than 100 homeless families could be transferred to a former textile mill next to a chemical distributor filled with hydrocloric acid and formaldehyde, the Daily News has learned.
If the proposed shelter is approved by city officials, homeless families would be moved onto Cooper Ave. in Glendale next to the Independent Chemical Corp., which houses a witches brew of chemicals in barrels and tankers inside and outside of the building.
“The fact they are even entertaining this is mind-boggling,” said Juniper Park Civic Association Robert Holden, who showed a reporter barrels in plain sight from 79th Place. “I think that the city — whoever is in charge — never even went back there.”
The mist of hydrochloric acid is known to be corrosive to human tissue and organs.
“This is a very dangerous site,” said Holden. “You’re talking about kids sleeping 10 or 15 yards from a tanker truck filled with dangerous chemicals.”
Juniper Civic has more.
17 comments:
Hiss BOOM!
Or, " The city put me here and now I'm sick and poisoned and... and I've fallen and can't get up!
Wait...Wait...ambulance sirens.
In the link he complains about the LIRR line too. Doesn't Holden live a block from an LIRR freight line? They don't run that often. Is the noise or pollution from the LIRR line worse than the busy Cooper avenue on the other side of the property? It's a truck route!
How legitimate are these complaints about the chemical place? It's not like there aren't homes nearby...
The picture attached with the barrels? Looks like the shelter will be farther from that than the existing homes on the other side of the rail line on 79th. Fumes don't stick to the road. They can waft over the rail line whenever they want.
Sounds like he's just struggling to find a way to keep his neighborhood from being begrimed by a homeless shelter. Giving out rent subsidies to integrate these people into our communities would probably be a better idea, and do less damage than segregating them all in one place, and could quite possibly be cheaper and better for the homeless families as well. There are reasons not to put a shelter here. I'd just prefer it if he could be honest.
He complains about the rail line because a derailment in this location could cause a catastrophe. He does not complain about noise or pollution.
Just because there are already homes nearby doesn't mean that we should put more people in harms way. Homeowners are subject to buyer beware. Kids in homeless shelters are not.
The barrels are stored directly behind the proposed shelter. Tanker trucks are parked between the two buildings.
Everyone is so ready to call others dishonest without understanding the issues.
I think the bigger question here is why is this type of facility allowed in an M1 zone? It's supposed to protect residential zones from the effects of heavy manufacturing.
Homeless shelter or not, that ticking time bomb needs to be cleaned up!
There isn't an HCl mist problem there. Yes, HCl is corrosive, duh. Thing is, average hardware store sells it as Muriatic acid. You know how you know they don't have an HCl mist problem? Is everything in the neighborhood covered in RUST? Open a bottle of HCl in your garage. Put it, in the bottle on the floor, close door, come back in a day, and look at the rust on every piece of steel in the room
No one said there was an HCl mist problem there. The reticle says the mist is known to be corrosive.
Anonymous Said: "Sounds like he's just struggling to find a way to keep his neighborhood from being begrimed by a homeless shelter. "
Holden doesn't live anywhere near the site of the proposed shelter...
We need a nuclear war to get rid of cuomolectuals and their jack booted bureaucrats
Some may not like Holden. Some may criticize Holden. Some may tell fibs about Holden.
But without people like Holden your area would be a hell of a lot worse than you can imagine. He's out there protecting your neighborhood and it's surroundings.
And now they are sending them to the Pan Am hotel on Queens Bvld! With no approval from the community. No hearing, no nothing. They already moved them in!!!
http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/pan-am-hotel-turned-into-homeless-shelter/article_44589a97-0dfc-522b-8216-b7d35c1bd482.html
What good has Holden done to protect the neighborhood and its surroundings anon?
He holds elected officials accountable, takes photos of problems and gets them resolved, keeps the neighborhood informed via a newsletter, cleans up Juniper Park, organizes volunteers to have graffiti covered up, gets agencies to respond, I suppose I could go on.
What exactly have you done?
Today at 6pm, join the protest in front of Pan American hotel. Community was not informed and location of Pan Am is near 3 public schools, I.S.5, P.S.7 and P.S.102. This is unfair to the community and families with children. This city's residents all need to rise up against the crimes it is doing on its residents that support the economy and taxes. Who is making these decisions? Who is robbing and misusing the city's neighborhoods and allocated funds? The same people dumping crap in our neighborhoods that we the residents support and want to call home. They are abusing our right to decide and they are getting paid off to make important decisions for communities they probably never stepped foot in.
"What exactly have you done?"
Probably sit on their ass and incessantly complain.
What good has Holden done to protect the neighborhood and its surroundings anon?
Holden has done more for the community than you could do in 100 lifetimes, you ungrateful idiot.
There's a park in Elmhurst where the gas tanks were that wouldn't be there now if it wasn't for the actions of Bob Holden. I suspect that one action is more than you will ever accomplish in your entire lifetime. This man does not get paid for his advocacy. What have your 6-figure salary electeds done for you?
Post a Comment