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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.

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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