The Scene Today at the Foster's Brownfield
A trip across town today led to the discovery that work has begun (or perhaps the better word is resumed) at the site of the former Foster's Refrigeration.
Back in July, when the Common Council appropriated from the fund balance another $52,300 ($42,700 had been appropriated in October 2014) to make up the City's 10 percent match for the project which is expected to cost $950,600 (just shy of a $1 million), Gossips retold the history of the efforts to clean up the brownfield site. It's worthwhile going back to reread that account.
More than three years ago, Mayor William Hallenbeck offered this site as a possible location for a dog park, but it seems now that it is being eyed as a potential parking lot for visitors to the yet to be developed North Bay Recreation and Natural Area.
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According to the DEC, the last time test well MW-3 was sampled was in 2006, when it was ascertained that lead (Pb) was entering the groundwater into the marsh. (Wells MW-2 and MW-3 were out in the marsh.)
ReplyDeleteThe cost of the clean-up is an estimate. No one will know the extent of the lead until they start digging it up.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced NY Open for fishing...
ReplyDeleteNew York State Department of Environment Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens said, Hunters and anglers are the foundation of the states conservation community, concerned about caring for the states habitats, forestland and waterways. Governor Cuomos proposal will make it simpler for people to purchase licenses, help attract newcomers to hunt and fish in New York and ensure that the programs that the hunting and fishing communities enjoy continue to be funded.
In addition, DEC has made substantial progress in both the rehabilitation of existing boat launch facilities..
Wouldn't it be nice if the city were required to replace any wetlands that it fills in so residents here could enjoy this side of the river as the people on the western shore?
There was lots of talk during the LWRP planning about "wetlands restoration," but none of it was genuine.
DeleteEven the Council's promises to protect the public's general interest with words like "conditional" and "nonconforming" in the new Zoning Code (2011) were disingenuous.
Alterations to uses in the South Bay are supposed to go before the Planning Board, but it turns out the purpose of the new language was to cover everyone's backsides. No one ever had any intention of enforcing any of it. It was just words.
That pretty much sums up the whole waterfront program. IMO, very little of it is salvageable.