Glendale residents vent at Superfund site meeting
BY MARK HALLUM
State agencies briefed
the public on Monday about
a Glendale superfund site
that will have another round
of remediations in the near
future after the toxic PCE
has been determined to be no
detriment to public health.
The Department of
Environmental Conservation
and the Department of Health
held a meeting on March 11
in a small room of the North
Forest Park library where
residents complained that they
were not properly notified of
the contaminants beneath the
soil in their community.
But DEC claimed there was
little chance the public could
be breathing the chemical
since it is deep underground
and a study of 10 homes in
2006 showed no sign of PCE
in the air — an admittedly
small size — but that 30 year
project would flush the soil of
the contaminant.
“We should have had flyers
coming to our house. We
should have been informed by
you people,” one attendee said.
“Nothing.”
“This is why there’s nobody
here tonight, nobody knows,”
another person said, with
many attributing QNS for
learning about the meeting.
With most of the
contamination up to 100
A Glendale superfund site will have another round of
remediations.
Courtesy of State Department of Environmental Conservation
feet below the surface at the
deepest parts, DOH does not
consider soil vapor intrusion
to be an issue for a few
reasons: because although
the PCE is concentrated in
the ground water, there is a
layer of clean water between
the chemical and the surface;
homes are not at risk because
the foundations, unless there
are crack in the pavement, will
seal out the vapors; and there
is no risk of people ingesting
PCE because the surrounding
communities are on the
municipal system which is
supplied from upstate.
But Robert Nardella,
78, however, maintained
concern about his home after
the presentation because of
the claim by DEC that the
underground plume had
migrated west at a shallower
level and pointed out that
some residents may have
dug wells on their property
over the years as a means to
water their lawn or fill aboveground
pools to get around
water restrictions.
“Why is it being addressed
again?” Nardella told QNS. “I
was confused as to why this is
coming up again when they did
everything to minimize our
concerns, you know, saying
there was no more vapor and
that it’s going deeper and
deeper into the ground.”
Nardella was also
concerned about his home,
which was built in the
early 1930s which just have
wood floors over dirt in
the basement, offering no
protection from possible soil
vapor intrusion.
“There are still many
homes next to that site that
have dirt over a wood floor,
mine included,” Nardella
added. “If there are any
vapors coming up, I don’t have
any protection.”
Another woman at the
meeting was still doubtful
that there was nothing to
worry about, as the two state
agencies said.
“It’s very disturbing, I
moved to the neighborhood in
2002,” she said. “Why do we
bother with another 30 years
and spending millions if it
no big deal and just going to
go away.”
The site at 75-09 Woodhaven
Blvd. may have come under
contamination in 1967, when
the property was used as a
knitting mill, according to
a DEC fact sheet. The DEC
believes the knitting mill
may be to blame for the PCE
contamination, and since late
1990s a Home Depot has sat at
the location.
“It started in 1967, I think
and we’re finding out two
weeks ago? It’s outrageous,”
another attendee said.
In 1997, before the Home
Depot was built, a volunteer
program conducted an
excavation to remove some
of the soil and air sparging,
a method of digging wells
into the ground to air out
contamination, was performed
in the 4,000-square-foot area,
the DEC fact sheet.
DEC and DOH will be
remediating by a method
that pump chemical oxidizers
into the ground through 9
injections valves to expel PCE
from the soil through nine
more ventilation points and
will impact the contaminant’s
chemical structure across
a 14,400-square-foot area
south of Seither Stadium,
according to information
from the DEC fact sheet and
the presentation.
DOH Public Health
Specialist Arunesh Ghosh
acknowledged that the 10
homes surveyed in 2006 is a
small sample, but insisted that
it was an accurate depiction
of air quality in homes when
paired with other monitoring
projects of the ground water
lead the agency to believe
there is no danger to the
health of residents.
“As far as inhalation – soil
vapor intrusion – that’s the
one thing that potentially,
maybe, might be possibly a
concern here,” Ghosh said.
One resident read from a
sheet that said her home had
been tested in 2006 and came
up negative for PCE exposure.
The DEC said it’s goal is
to return the site to its precontaminated
condition
if feasible but at the very
least minimize any risk to
the public.
Meng measure to increase cultural competency of poll workers passes
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The U.S. House approved
on Tuesday a measure from
Flushing Congresswoman
Grace Meng to increase the
cultural competency of poll
workers ensuring accessible
voting for everyone.
Meng’s amendment, which
passed on March 12 as part
of the For The People Act
(H.R. 1), would require that
poll worker manuals contain
cultural competency training
information so that those
working at poll sites are aware
of the needs of all voters.
The training information
would ensure that poll workers
are able to help voters who come
from diverse backgrounds,
live with disabilities, or have
limited English proficiency
— regardless of gender, sexual
orientation, or gender identity.
The training will decrease
congestion at the voting booth,
and ensure that voters are able
to cast their ballots without
problems or issues.
“Passage of my provision
is a huge step forward in
ensuring that all voters
can fully participate in our
democracy,” said Meng. “Many
communities throughout the
country, such as my district
in Queens, are proudly home
to different cultures and
ethnicities. But diversity
should never be a barrier to
voting. All voters are entitled
to equal access at the ballot
box, and this measure would
go a long way towards making
sure that voters are able to cast
their ballots without problems
or issues. I urge the Senate
to now follow suit and pass
H.R. 1 as well.”
Supporters of Meng
applauded the measure
saying it will increase
voter participation.
“We are pleased to see
that Representative Meng’s
amendment was included in
H.R. 1, which helps take a
crucial step toward ensuring
that all people have access
to their fundamental right
to vote, including LGBTQ
people,” said David Stacy,
government affairs director of
the Human Rights Campaign.
“Cultural differences should
never be a barrier to accessing
the ballot box. We are grateful
to Representative Meng for her
leadership and look forward to
working with her on additional
efforts to advance voting rights
for all.”
Terry Ao Minnis, director
of Census and Voting Programs
at Asian Americans Advancing
Justice, said “providing
U.S. REP. GRACE MENG
election-related information inlanguage
helps remove barriers
to the ballot box allowing Asian
American voters to exercise
their right to vote.”
Meanwhile, Arturo
Vargas, educational fund
chief executive officer of
the National Association of
Latino Elected and Appointed
Officials (NALEO), said “By
taking actions to make the
right to vote more accessible
for the Latino community
and all Americans, we are
embracing the democratic
values that make our
nation great and increasing
civic participation.”
Meng’s other amendment
to H.R. 1, a provision to lower
the voting age to 16, was not
attached to the final version
of the bill. It is the Democrats’
signature campaign and
voter reform bill which seeks
to improve voting rights,
campaign finance laws and
ethics laws. It passed by a vote
of 234-193.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
24 TIMESLEDGER, MARCH 15-21, 2019 QNS.COM
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