Concerned Homeowners Association

Opinion

Jan 07, 2003

Ronald J. Dillon, President
Concerned Homeowners Association

The Old Mill - The City?’s Dumping Ground, Again

While you hopefully were enjoying a pleasant holiday season with your family and friends, the City of New York has been busy converting yet another section of our community into a waste transfer station. It was not enough that areas restricted to Light Manufacturing uses illegally were converted into waste transfer operations (classified as a heavy manufacturing use). It was not enough that areas of residential property illegally were converted into waste transfer operations. It was enough the NYC Department of Sanitation transferred large areas of our community into Superfund hazardous waste sites. It is not enough that the NYC Department of Sanitation has created other hazardous waste sites in our community. It is not enough that the NYC Department of Sanitation has failed to properly close landfills which it operated. It is not enough that new development has been allowed on brownfields which have not been remediated. Now, the City of New York want to take away the community?’s waterfront parkland and give it over to an agency which has done nothing but to destroy this community.

The Concerned Homeowners Association has fought to have the Old Mill Creek parkland rehabilitated and restored in a manner which gives adequate recognition to the community which existed since colonial times. This waterfront parkland is part of the Jamaica Bay ecosystem which the communities surrounding ours fight to preserve. The Concerned Homeowners Association formally has been recognized and congratulated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for its efforts on behalf of the Old Mill Creek Park.

While the Concerned Homeowners Association sees its waterfront parkland as a valuable natural community resource, the Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay community sees our waterfront parkland as an opportunity to dump one of its objectionable projects. The NYC Department of Sanitation constructed and operated a waste transfer station in Canarsie
Park (not on the waterfront) without notifying that community of its intentions. When the residents discovered the use to which their park was being put, they demanded that their elected officials close down the operation. Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay elected officials could only do this by finding an alternate site for the facility. The Old Mill Creek Waterfront Parkland currently is located in the Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay New York City Council District.

The current Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay New York City Council representative is Lewis Fiddler. When contacted by the Concerned Homeowners Association in protest of the planned abuse of this community?’s waterfront parkland, the Councilman?’s response was evocative of the New York Daily News headline attributed to President Ford during the New York City?’s fiscal crisis, ?“Drop Dead!?”. Mr. Fiddler sought to take sole credit for a newspaper headlined story in the Canarsie press. The newspaper reported that for once City officials had made a promise which they had kept - the closure of the Canarsie Park waste transfer station, made possible by the opening the illegal operation at the Old Mill Creek Waterfront Park. Mr. Fiddler has been invited to meet with this community about the illegal waste transfer station. He has declined stating that he owns this community nothing since the residents are not his voting constituents. Mr. Fiddler attempted to lull this community into inaction by claiming that the illegal waste transfer station at the Old Mill Creek Waterfront Park would not become operational since there was no recycling funds in the current budget. What he failed to mention is that recycling funds are not necessary to operate the facility which had already been illegally constructed and operated, that the process of attempting to obtain necessary permits continued, and that he was moving to expedite the process of obtaining any necessary permits.

Why is Mr. Fiddler and the NYC Department of Sanitation seeking to expedite an illegal operation which they caused to be created? Redistricting! Based on the latest decennial census, the New York City Council Districts are mandated to be redrawn. That area of New Lots south of Flatlands Avenue is to be reunited with the New Lots Council District. Although Mr. Barron has ignored the issue of the many illegal waste transfer stations in New Lots, he is more likely than Mr. Fiddler to object to the misuse of the community?’s waterfront parkland. Mr. Fiddler and his cronies in Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay want the permitting process for the illegal operation completed before the new Council District lines are redrawn.

The NYC Department of Sanitation rushed under the cover of the September 11, 2001 tragedy to expedite the construction of the illegal operation without community notification and without obtaining the necessary permits. Under cover of the 2002 Christmas holiday season, the conspiracy continued to obtain permits after the fact. The State?’s official notification was made on Christmas Day. The comment period has been scheduled during the holiday period when this community?’s elected officials have closed their offices for their inter-session break.

The Concerned Homeowners Association has requested that the comment period for the waste transfer station application be extended past the scheduled January 10, 2003 date. The Association also has requested that a public hearing be conducted on this matter. In the absence of community outcry, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has no intention of holding a public hearing. The intent of the agency and the Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay community is to have the application approved on March 20, 2003. If this community does not fight harder to save the waterfront park than Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay has fought to destroy the waterfront park, the community will lose this resource.