http://www.bceq.org/2009/10/17/vice-presidents-blog-kingsbridge-armory-testimony/

http://www.fipna.org/2009/08/16/wall-and-cranes/

• CITY IS NEGLIGENT ON BRONX HS of SCIENCE EMERGENCY PLANNING
• NOT PREPARED IN CASE OF CHLORINE ACCIDENT

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz warned that poor city agency response to the March 20 bomb scare at the Bronx High School of Science underscores the city’s negligence in emergency planning for its most prestigious school.

“With the irresponsible DEP handling deadly chlorine across the street, it’s alarming that first responders and other emergency teams have no clear evacuation plan.” the Assemblyman said, “Looking at the response from a risk management perspective, I give them a ‘D’.“

Two times between June, 2007 and October, 2008 the DEP spilled chlorine at the Jerome Park Reservoir — directly across the street from Bronx Science.

“Thankfully those accidents weren’t large enough to directly affect the school,” Assemblyman Dinowitz said. “But incredibly, there is nothing in place for any of the schools in the area in case something more serious does happen” he said. “One would think emergency planning would be the City’s first priority, but judging from their non-existent plan in case of a chlorine leak and how last week’s bomb scare was handled, clearly it’s the farthest thing from their minds.”

In the most recent incident at Bronx Science, after an emailed bomb threat was received, a fire drill was called, followed by an announcement to evacuate the building. But without effective communication systems to help coordinate and no support from the NYPD to direct traffic, the process to get students to a safe haven was severely hampered. As a result, hundreds of students were limited to walking on the sidewalk and when they got to nearby Clinton High School, the metal detection process meant they would have to stand in the street and wait.

“During this sort of emergency, you want to close the streets to traffic and have everyone move into shelter as soon as possible,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz, who graduated from Bronx Science in 1971. “School officials reacted to the bomb scare as best they could, but without proper guidance from the NYPD, FDNY, OEM, and DEP, there’s no question that student safety was compromised,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “Does something have to go terribly wrong before the city reacts?”

“The school did a good job but there’s need for more support from the City and NYPD,” said Bob Lang, head of the school’s UFT chapter. “It’s also troublesome that they are handling chlorine gas right across the street. If there is a chlorine spill are we supposed to be in the building or out of the building? We need professional advice in terms of planning.”

“Bronx Science’s parents are very concerned about potential threats to the health and safety of our children in the Jerome Park Reservoir area, whether due to noise, dirt, dust, and truck traffic related to the DEP’s drilling, possible deadly chlorine gas leaks, or emergency evacuations,” said Jennifer Nelson, Co-President of the Bronx H.S. of Science Parents Association. “The responsible city agencies have not demonstrated to us that they have well-thought out and developed procedures in place.”

”Also, communication with Bronx Science and the other schools in the area has not been very effective. We call upon the City to lay the necessary groundwork and increase our confidence that emergency situations, should they occur, would be effectively dealt with,” Ms. Nelson said.

Emergency planning in the area has other problems, too. “Just as the DEP did not notify us about the chlorine leaks, no one notified the residents in Scott Tower to remain inside during the evacuation and investigation,” stated Sonia Lappin, a long time resident of nearby Scott Tower Housing Cooperative.

Ironically, two hours after the ‘all-clear ‘in the bomb scare, the DEP sent out an email notifying local community groups and schools that they would begin hoe-ram digging across the street near the Jerome Park Reservoir. “With all this going on, we can only hope the contractor’s employees are prepared to take positive steps in case of an emergency,” stated Karen Argenti of the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ), “because the city is not ready to.”

In May 2008, the Harris Park Annex along the edge of  Jerome Park Reservoir looked like the left photo. Then in July 2008, they started work on the connection to the water supply system.

Today, the project has taken enormous proportions – almost as long as the Bronx High School of Science. The aesthetic nature of the structure is so compelling that I am certain the Design Commission will use this as a model for the rest of the city, especially Manhattan!

I also saw some nice fire persons from the Tower Ladder 46 who went inside the JPR property but were unable to get the answers they needed.  I did not ask as it does not really matter — the DEP answers to no one as we have come to learn.

The DEMO plant does not seem to be getting demolished and looks more like an UNSAFE BUILDING every time I see it.  What is taking so long to tear down a temporary building built in 1984 ?????  The DEP is using the area for a staging area and trailers.  I saw some workers bringing lunch to the second trailer (maybe the contractor?).

Oh, and what ever happened to the sign that Parks put up at the turn of the century?

That about sums it up, from the reporter on the scene,

/Karen

In 2004, Assembly Member Jeffrey Klein rallied with neighborhood residents against putting the plant in Van Cortlandt Park. He also supported his constituents at the Jerome Park Reservoir in trying to make the reservoir into a park. Below you will find some interviews, photos and documents concerning these issues

. . . . . . . . . .It doesn’t make sense, logistically, that you . . . build something in Van Cortlandt and still need to pipe water back and forth from Jerome Park. The purpose of building in Van Cortlandt in the first place was a direct line for the Croton system.

.

Excerpts from 2004 INTERVIEW WITH BRONXTALK’S GARY AXELBANK – On Wednesday, May 5 Assemblyman Jeffrey Klein was interviewed on BronxTalk AM by host Gary Axelbank. Their discussion included dialogue about the water filtration project. Here’s a transcript of that segment:

GA: The students from the Bronx H.S. of Science were here yesterday. . .. .. The Riverdale Press had said that you were talking about building a running track around the reservoir. The DEP commissioner talked about air conditioning in that building. Their attitude was, “No deals. We really think that Eastview is the best site.” . . . ..

JK: . . . This is not a done deal. That’s the purpose of having an environmental impact statement, to figure out what the burden is on the surrounding community, whether or not this is the cheapest site, whether or not this is the most viable site.

. . . . . About a month ago, I went out with DEP and they showed me what was going to be a burden on the . . . . Jerome Park community. They showed me the exact spot where the hole is going to be dug across from Bronx H.S. of Science. . . . . They took me around to different gate houses that were going to be upgraded and rehabilitated.

GA: Your thoughts on what you saw?
JK: It’s going to be a burden on the community, temporary, but still a burden. I’m not a construction person . . . . . , but when you dig a 25-foot hole it’s going to take a while to do and there will be some burden on the surrounding community. No doubt about it.

For the FULL Transcritpt: klein-on-bronxtalk-2004-may-04

LETTER TO THE CITY COUNCIL: kleinfiltrationplantletter1-2004-july-21

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Environmental Protection Agency has decided there’s no need to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has fouled public water supplies around the country.
EPA reached the conclusion in a draft regulatory document not yet made public but reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.

The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.

The EPA document says that mandating a clean-up level for perchlorate would not result in a “meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public-water systems.”

The conclusion, which caps years of dispute over the issue, was denounced by Democrats and environmentalists who accused EPA of caving to pressure from the Pentagon.

(for more info check out this story and for active links: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/environment/2008-09-22-EPA-fuel_N.htm?csp=23&RM_Exclude=aol)

. . . .

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

“. . . the raised bored construction method . . . involves drilling of a pilot hole from the surface. A boring drill rig would be assembled at the bottom of the shaft where the tunnel would terminate, and turned by a machine at the top. The boring spoils would fall into the tunnel, and would be removed as the drill is raised from the bottom of the shaft. Using the new tunnel for access, all the debris would collapse into the new tunnel and would be removed at the water treatment plant site . . . . This method would reduce the impact caused by construction in the area.”

Raised Bore:

From the Tunnel looking up the shaft:

Click below to view in flash. Use the mouse to click to the animated photo’s; the pages will advance but you need to use the mouse click to go through the presentation. FULL SCREEN IS THE LAST RIGHT BUTTON.

(Please click the image to advance the slides)

If you do not have flash, you can download the Acrobat (pdf) version by clicking here:
no-blasting-or-drilling-081808

Click below to view in flash. Use the mouse to click to the animated photo’s; the pages will advance but you need to use the mouse click to go through the presentation. FULL SCREEN IS THE LAST RIGHT BUTTON.

(Please click the image to advance the slides)

If you do not have flash, you can download the Acrobat (pdf) version by clicking here:
cro-312os_6-13-08_fmc1

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