6 The Queens Courier • SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Alleged coverup of contaminated College Point soil brought to light BY ALINA SURIEL asuriel@queenscourier.com @alinangelica Officials and College Point residents are looking for answers after fuelcontaminated soil was found and left unreported at the Linden Place Project of the College Point Industrial Park. Dr. James Cervino—a College Point marine pathologist and Community Board 7 (CB 7) member working as a consultant on the project—uncovered the contamination on a recent trip to the site. A dug-up portion of a runway previously used by the former Flushing Airport revealed visible pools of fuel in the soil underneath. Workers in the area were wearing face masks for protection, and Cervino said that several of them had reported feeling ill. Cervino then alerted the contractor and on-site engineer for the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) of his findings. “I did what I was supposed to do, thank God, and I reported it,” Cervino said. “The engineer was very upset and said, ‘You’re going to stop this project if you report this.’” According to Cervino, CB 7 and local civic groups had received multiple reports from College Point residents regarding a smell of petroleum believed to be related to the ongoing projects in the College Point Corporate Park. When he contacted the community board to follow up on the issue, he was alarmed to find that the contaminated soil had still not been reported. It was at this time that he contacted state Senator Tony Avella for his help in calling attention to the issue. “It was pretty crazy, and it’s unfolding as we speak,” Cervino said at a community board meeting Monday. Avella held a press conference on Monday near the site to address the issue, and said public safety should BUY DIRECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER FREE Measuring & Installation w/purchase of $100. with this ad. • Draperies • Vertical Blinds • Honeycomb Shades • Custom Window Shades • Mini Blinds Nobody Beats Our Prices! • Roman Shades • Balloon Shades • Swags & Jabots • Shutters • Upholstery • Radiator Covers • Table Pads UP TO 70% OFF LIST PRICE Free Interior Design Consultation $20 OFF with purchase of $200 or more *Not to be combined w/other offers. Expires 10/2/15 $50 OFF with purchase of $500 or more *Not to be combined w/other offers. Expires 10/2/15 $100 OFF with purchase of $1,000 or more *Not to be combined w/other offers. Expires 10/2/15 GOMER’S SINCE 1962 Window Treatments FREE SHOP AT HOME SERVICE SERVING QUEENS AND LONG ISLAND 1.800.522.6156 www.gomersdecorators.com not depend upon the conscience of a lone whistleblower. He demanded that the EDC halt their project pending an investigation and answer the allegations. “To knowingly conceal petroleumcontaminated soil and repurpose it use throughout the city is utterly disgraceful and borders criminality,” Avella said. “EDC has shown that it is willing to expose people to a substantial health hazard, if it means preventing a delay on their project in College Point Corporate Park.” In a statement released to The Courier, an EDC spokesman said that the organization was investigating the claims of contamination. “We are working closely with the Department of Environment Conservation to assess the area and determine if additional needs must be addressed in our mitigation efforts. In the meantime, no work is ongoing on this portion of the site.” The NYCEDC manages the College Point Corporate Park on behalf of the City of New York. According to the EDC website, the College Point Corporate Park contains more than 200 companies and 6,000 employees in various industries. These include The New York Times’ printing plant and other firms involved in office operations, light and heavy manufacturing, construction equipment suppliers, printing, distribution and retail. The reconstruction of Linden Place began in spring of 2009 and the street is currently open to traffic today. Portions of the area at 132nd street are still under construction. Linden Place road connects from 28th Avenue to 23rd Avenue, providing direct access to the Whitestone Expressway and will alleviate traffic flow within the park. The planned extension of 132nd Street will connect 20th Avenue and Linden Place and will also help to alleviate traffic. Photo courtesy of Tony Avella’s office A puddle at the College Point Corporate Park with a rainbow-colored sheen due to chemical contamination. expands commitment to Queens AT&T, the multinational telecommunications company, is trying to make it easier for Queens customers to access its services, according to Marissa Shorenstein, president of AT&T New York. The company has made 463 network and capacity upgrades across the borough to ensure high speed and reliable connections and provides accessible WiFi and phone charging stations throughout Queens. Patrons who visit Astoria Park, MacDonald Park and the Queens Zoo can have free access to WiFi by simply selecting “attwi ” in their list of networks. Shorenstein also said AT&T’s free solar mobile charging stations, which grew out of a response to Hurricane Sandy, gives visitors at Rockaway Beach and Corona Plaza a free opportunity to charge their phones. Though free and easy network accessibility is an important initiative, Shorenstein said the company’s commitment to Queens extends to the children living in the borough. AT&T awarded more than $850,000 in multi-year grants to programs in Queens that support traditionally underserved students and motivate them to stay in school. AT&T granted $300,000 to the Y-Scholars program in Flushing International High School, a dropout prevention and college access program. Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation in Woodside, a program that aims to increase the rate of students who have passed 9th grade to complete high school in four years and go on to college, also received $300,000. Last summer, AT&T pledged to donate $1 million to the Girls Who Code program, a nonpro t that is working to close the gender gap in technology and engineering. “We’re doing as much as we can to make sure that Queens resident know that we’re here to support them from a network perspective but also a community perspective,” Shorenstein said. Starting this summer, AT&T began offering a $40 unlimited text, talk and data plan with no annual contract or credit check through their pre-paid GoPhone initiative “ to ensure that everyone in the Queens community has access and is able to connect — and because they believe that by working together in Queens, there’s nothingwe can’t do,” according to a spokesperson. To learn about AT&T phone plans and other initiatives, visit att.com.
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