FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 25, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19 Cleanup of contaminated garages under an abandoned rail line in Ozone Park is near completion BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport A nearly four-year cleanup project inside of several NYC-owned storage bays located underneath an abandoned rail line in Ozone Park is fi nally nearing its completion. Endzone Inc., the company responsible Photos by Robert Stridiron Cops inspect a motorcycle following a deadly crash on the Van Wyck Expressway on May 21. Cops investigating a deadly motorcycle accident on the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz A 28-year-old man died early on Sunday morning aft er his motorcycle crashed into another vehicle on the Van Wyck Expressway on the Richmond Hill/Jamaica border, police said. Th e collision occurred at 4:46 a.m. on May 21 along the southbound lanes of the expressway near the Hillside Avenue overpass. According to authorities, the unidentifi ed 28-year-old male victim was riding his motorcycle southbound on the Van Wyck when he struck the rear bumper of a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. Th e impact caused the motorcyclist to be ejected from his ride to the pavement. Th e driver of the Suburban stopped and remained at the scene. Offi cers from the 102nd Precinct, the NYPD Highway Patrol and EMS responded to the scene. Th e victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His identity was withheld pending family notifi cation. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. World War I vets remembered in Woodhaven A Forest Park Drive in Woodhaven has been renamed in recognition of the memorial trees planted nearly a century ago to honor American soldiers who died during World War I. “Th is co-naming continues the tradition in the park of marking and remembering our heroes,” City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley said. “Forest Park Memorial Drive will be a lasting reminder for all who travel through the park of all that was done to protect our freedom.” Crowley sponsored the co-naming legislation with the support of the American Legion Post 118, Vietnam Veterans Local Chapter 32, the Queens Historical Society and the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society. “This road now has a name that serves as a reminder that it contains several memorials to those who gave their lives in service to our country,” said Ed Wendell, executive director of the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society. “I think it would make their families proud and help future generations keep up the tradition of remembering their sacrifices, as well as supporting those young men and women currently in harm’s way.”. Forest Park is also home to several other memorials and monuments recognizing the sacrifice of soldiers who fought for the country in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Anthony Giudice Investigation continues in deadly playground shooting A 23-year-old man has died aft er being shot near a playground on the Ozone Park/Woodhaven border on Th ursday night, according to police. Th e NYPD said that the shooting took place just before 9:30 p.m. on May 18 in the vicinity of Atlantic Avenue and 88th Street, near the London Planetree Playground. Law enforcement sources said the victim — Joshua Flores of West Tremont Avenue in the Bronx — took a bullet to his upper torso at the location and was transported via private means to Jamaica Hospital, where he later died. Offi cers from the 102nd Precinct initially responded to the playground aft er receiving a 911 call about shots fi red there, but were directed to the hospital aft er learning that someone had been wounded. Members of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit were still at the shooting location on Friday morning, combing the area for evidence. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Robert Pozarycki for conducting the cleanup, entered into a consent order with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 2003 aft er taking over the site from the previous manufacturer Ozone Industries Inc., which stored drums and other industrial equipment that supplied its manufacturing plant from 1948 through 1996. Th e cleanup focuses on bays underneath the defunct Rockaway Beach branch of the Long Island Rail Road between 99th and 100th streets and 101st and 103rd avenues. Trains haven’t run on the line in 50 years, and there’s an active eff ort underway to transform the line into a new linear park called the QueensWay. According to Endzone Inc., the previous owner reportedly stored solvents in several of the bays used in conjunction with the development of aircraft parts, which led to contamination of the soil. When the bays were unused, people would break into them and use them as their own personal bays. “Th ings that weren’t supposed to be going on here, were going on,” said David G. Austin, senior project manager at AECOM. “It was a real danger. Th ere were furniture shops, wood shops, even a motorcycle bar. Th ey were only supposed to be used for storage. Security is still a problem. We check the system bi-weekly, and we check the bays weekly.” Under orders from DEC, Endzone Inc. created a Remedial Design and Remedial Action Plan that included removing of the fl oors in bays eight through 15 and the excavation of 4 feet of contaminated soil in each of the bays. According to Austin, about 80 to 90 percent of the contaminants were within the top 4 feet of soil in the bays. Once the contaminated soil was removed, tested and properly disposed of, new soil that met DEC criteria was put in. AECOM then constructed Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) wells and a piping system that would draw soil vapor from deeper soil to further clean the location, along with a venting system for added preventive measures beneath the bays. “Th is system is one of the best we’ve installed,” said Raimundo J. Matos, project manager at AECOM. “It is really a high-end system. It’s our crowning achievement.” Th ese systems pull air from the soil and puts it through a fi ltration system to remove any remaining contamination. Th e air is then sealed in a container and shipped for testing. Aft er a year of operating the system, the bays are operating below the state standards. Th roughout the entire project, Endzone Inc. has worked closely with the local community board, community leaders and residents to be transparent and lessen community impact. Th e remediation project is currently in the “rebound phase” which means the system is shut off for 30 days, then turned back on to test the levels again. Th is must be done a total of three times by the end of the calendar year, Austin said. Once the three rebound phases are complete, DEC will determine if the remediation is satisfactory. Following DEC approval, New York City will be able to do what they want with the bays, since they are still the owners of the Ozone Park property. Photos by Anthony Giudice/QNS The remediation project at several storage bays in Ozone Park is almost done.
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