Congressman Michael Grimm sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers raising concerns over the proposed waste transfer station at Bay 41st Street.
Grimm joins with Assemblyman William Colton, Andrew Gounardes and a host of other local leaders and concerned citizens in questioning the erection of the station at the edge of Gravesend Bay. It also puts him in the rather odd position of agreeing with his Democratic opponent, Mark Murphy, who seems to go through great pains to show how different from Grimm he is.
But, hey, it doesn’t get more apolitical than garbage, right?
The local representatives have noted a variety of issues pertaining to the station. For one, residents believe that the waste incinerator that was situatied in the same place several years ago is toxic and may cause cancer. Thus, dredging the water would bring up the toxic ash that has long been sitting at the bottom of the bay.
Grimm brings up the dangers surrounding unexploded ammunition that fell to the bottom of the harbor from the USS Bennington in 1954. He is requesting more information pertaining to any possible dangers surrounding the dredging.
“Safety should always remain a top priority when moving forward with any project, and the presence of unexploded munitions certainly raises strong concerns among members of the southwest Brooklyn community. Before any action begins on the proposed waste transfer station, I am seeking assurance from the Army Corps of Engineers that any dredging will not compromise the safety of the residents, their property, or the bay. No project is worth jeopardizing public safety, and I look forward to working with the Corps to receive its full assurance that the dredging will be 100 percent safe,” he said in a release.
At a rally attended by approximately 150 area residents, Assemblyman Bill Colton and heads of various local organizations blasted a Department of Sanitation plan to install a waste transfer station in Gravesend Bay, saying they don’t trust the organization and will continue their fight to halt construction.
But the Sanitation Department said it’s moving ahead with their plans, anyway.
The opponents gathered on Sunday at the Bay Parkway Promenade next to Caesar’s Bay, toting signs of opposition. Assemblyman Bill Colton spoke against the plan, as did Congressional candidate Mark Murphy, State Senate Candidate Andrew Gounardes, District Leader candidate Ari Kagan and local environmental and neighborhood activists.
At issue is the Sanitation Department’s proposal to reactivate an old Sanitation facility on Bay 41st Street off Shore Parkway, turning it into a waste transfer station where trucks will bring garbage, formally known as the Southwest Brooklyn Marine Transfer Station, load it onto a barge, and ship it out. But, according to Colton, the plan will require dredging of the waters around it, which will stir up a toxic blend of chemicals laying dormant on the bay’s floor, a mix he’s dubbed “black mayonaisse.”
“Scientists have confirmed what many in the community feared…There were unsafe levels of mercury and other harmful toxins found at the bottom of Gravesend Bay. The samples were taken by just scratching the surface rather than by digging deep below the surface where the dredging will reach. This leads others and me to wonder: What other dangers lie further below Gravesend Bay?” asked Colton. “And how will this toxic material impact the adjacent beaches of Coney Island and Manhattan Beach?”
The toxic stew formed, in part, with the help of the agency itself. The proposed site is the former location of a waste incinerator. Colton said the department has a bad track record in the neighborhood, as the previous facility operated without proper permits, and did not take precautions to contain environmental damage. Colton, who led the fight to shut down the facility in the 1990s, said toxic ash from the incinerator rained down on nearby homes, senior centers and into the water – and the ensuing years have seen increased reports of cancer and related-illnesses.
Just as in his fight to shut down the incinerator, Colton has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the community to block the agency from going forward with its plans.
But that doesn’t appear to concern the Sanitation Department, which told Bensonhurst Bean that the benefit of getting trucks off the road outweigh any perceived risk of an environmental catastrophe.
“The Department of Sanitation is moving forward with plans to construct this state of the art containerized marine transfer station that will allow waste from south Brooklyn to be shipped by barge to rail centers where it will be moved to landfills out of the state,” a Sanitation spokesperson said. “In doing so, a reliable and environmentally sound system for managing the city’s waste, a fair and equitable distribution of waste management throughout the five boroughs, and a significant reduction in truck traffic through city streets are achieved. The marine transfer station is part of the Mayor’s Solid Waste Management Plan that was overwhelmingly approved by the City Council and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.”
Local officials cut the ribbon on the elevators of the new ADA Bay Parkway station.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the West End D Line’s Bay Parkway station today, after crews completed years of work rehabilitating seven of the line’s stations throughout Bensonhurst.
This stimulus project, which cost $88 million, was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. It
Prendergast and Recchia take their first ride on the elevators. (Click to enlarge)
involved the conversion of the Bay Parkway Station into the 78th handicapped-accessible (ADA)station in the subway system. This was accomplished through the installation of three elevators, which required widening of the station’s platform. The station also underwent repairs involving the lighting, platform edges, staircases, and technology.
“This is a great day for the thousands of Brooklynites who start and end their travels in one of these newly renovated West End Line D train station,” said State Senator Marty Golden, who, along with Assemblyman William Colton and Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, was present for the ceremony.
The cause of a multi-vehicle accident on the eastbound lane of the Belt Parkway this morning has been revelead.
Henry Brimsley was driving in an eastbound lane and made a careless U-turn after spotting a parked police car on the shoulder. He started driving against traffic, the wrong-way, to avoid the cops. He may or may have been evading the speed-trap.
He was driving a black Honda and crashed into a van that hit another vehicle, according to the New York Daily News.
His reckless move caused a three-car crash that sent 11 people to Lutheran and Coney Island hospitals. Luckily, no one was killed.
Brimsley was booked on several charges including reckless endangerment and driving with a suspended license. He was treated for a broken leg.
A car collision involving a driver going the wrong-way on the Belt Parkway is suspected to be behind a major accident that occurred earlier this morning.
Eleven drivers were injured at around 6:30 a.m. near exit 5. The collision shut down all east-bound lanes and two west-bound lanes.
Three cars were involved in the pile-up; one was a large white van carrying several passengers. Firefighters and the NYPD were able to get all of the victims out of their cars. Thus far, no deaths have been reported, according to the New York Post.
This is a breaking news story and may contain inaccuracies. We will update it as more information becomes available. If anyone has more information or additional photos, please send them to LVladimirova (at) bensonhurstbean (dot) com.
Irina Shelikhova was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport after two years of hiding out in the Ukraine. She was the last fugitive wanted in the biggest Medicare fraud case ever.
Shelikhova, who worked at Bay Medical Care in Bath Beach scammed the system out of $47 million, according to the New York Daily News.
Patients were paid to get bogus and non-existent physical therapy treatments up to three times a week for over a year. The clinic would then bill the treatments to Medicare.
Shelikhova disappeared in July of 2010 after the law caught up with the fraudulent practices.
Shelikhova managed the clinic and was an authorized signatory on the clinic’s bank accounts. She also managed two nearby clinics that took part in the theft. The clinics involved in the scheme include Bay Medical Care PC at 8686 Bay Parkway, SVS Wellcare Medical PLLC at 7616 Bay Parkway and SZS Medical Care PLLC at 8686 Bay Parkway.
“Nobody needs that much physical therapy,” said Thomas O’Donnell, a special agent who investigated the scheme.
The cases against all the defendants are ongoing. Shelikhova is charged with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, health care fraud and money laundering.
Here are some photos from last Sunday’s 86th Street Bensonhurst Festival. They were submitted by Louis Giammarino, who works with a local chocolatier (take that, Bushstuyburg).
If you went to the festival, we hope you had a great time. If you didn’t, there is always next year.
Zeppoles! Source: x-eyedblonde via Wikimedia Commons
This Sunday will be the 14th annual 86th Street Bensonhurst Festival. It takes place at 86th Street, from 19th Avenue to Bay Parkway from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Parts of 86th Street will be closed to drivers, allowing for food and other vendors to set up shop. There will also be music, rides and, according to various weather reports, bright sunny skies.
Another fun aspect of this year’s fair will be the promotional mini-event from the Brooklyn Nets.
Police barricaded off the area around 8301 Bay Pkwyand 83rd Street at about noon yesterday because of a possible suicide attempt. Police called the emergency services unit to the scene.
We will update this story as more information becomes available. If anyone has more information or additional photos, please send them to LVladimirova (at) bensonhurstbean (dot) com.
