DEC pushes burying tainted parcel in city

By Dan Shapley Poughkeepsie Journal February 2, 2006

t could cost $2.6 million to bury contamination at a 5.5-acre piece of land that is part of the City of Poughkeepsie's southern waterfront revitalization project.
The state would pay for up to 90 percent of the cost, with the city responsible for the balance.
The Department of Environmental Conservation proposed a plan this week to bury the entire old industrial site under pavement, buildings or two feet of dirt. Burying the contamination will provide a barrier that should prevent human exposure to toxic metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the soil.
The parcel, known as PURA-14, is slated for the third phase of construction in the city's $43.9 million waterfront development deal with the Bonura family. The first phase, a restaurant and catering facility, is expected to open in September. Construction on the second phase — retail space, offices and public amenities on the DeLaval property — may begin in 2007.
The DEC prefers burying the PURA-14 contamination to digging it up and carting it off. The cost of removing the contamination, which runs as deep as eight feet, was estimated at $12.8 million. The DEC deemed the cost "excessive" and expressed concern at the risk to workers from dust inhalation during excavation.
"Complete removal and off-site disposal of all contaminated media would provide the greatest overall protection of human health and the environment, although this alternative poses relatively high exposure risk during the excavation process," the DEC's report reads.
Low risk of exposure
Burying the contamination would "significantly" reduce any risk of human exposure, and was deemed easiest to implement, with less risk of exposure to workers because it requires less disturbance of the contaminated soil.
The plan would make the site suitable for commercial or certain residential construction. Housing would be restricted to condominiums or apartment complexes with a single owner, so the DEC can more easily ensure the contaminated soil is not disturbed in the future.
Buildings on the site may have to be ventilated if gases seeping up from the polluted soil are problematic, the DEC said.
Joseph Bonura Jr., the developer working with the city on the project, said he still plans to build an office tower on the site.
"It wasn't that big of a change to get it (approved) for residential as well, and we saw all these new office buildings being built on Route 9," Bonura said. "If the market doesn't allow us to build an office building, we wanted to have the option to put residential on the land even though we have no intentions to do that at this time."

Dan Shapley can be reached at dshapley@poughkeepsiejournal.com

AREA NEWSPAPER
CONTACT INFORMATION

ULSTER/ DUTCHESS

Poughkeepsie Journal
PO Box 1231
Poughkeepsie, NY 12602
(845) 454-2000
For an on line letter to the editor. Fill out this form

ULSTER COUNTY

Saugerties Times
Monday deadline
P.O.Box
Phone:334- 8200
FAX your letter 334-8202
saugertiestimes@ulsterpublishing
(Attention Erica Freudenberger, editor)
P.O.Box 3329
Kingston, NY 12402

Albany Times Union
Times Union
90 State Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 454-5091
For an on line letter to the editor. Fill out this form

COLUMBIA COUNTY
The Independent
Indenews (online)

P.O. Box 360
Hillsdale, NY 12529
Phone (518) 325-4400
FAX (518) 325-4497
Parry Teasdale, editor

letters to editor require form through website

***NOTE: Our websites make an effort to glean info for our readers from local papers. This is no way a substitute for subscribing or picking up a local paper. We gratefully acknowledge the efforts local newspapers and publications make to our community.