BROOKLYN COMMUNITY BOARD 6
PARKS/RECREATION/ENVIORNMENTAL PROTECTION COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 19, 2016
ATTENDANCE
S. Bautista-Carolina A M. Neuman A F. Brown A J. Pautz P D. Buscarello P C. Pigott A E. Felder A M. Shames P J. Heyer P J. Oltman-Smith P G. Kelly P J. Thompson A H. Link A S. Turet P
P = present, E = excused, A = absent
GUESTS:
J. SIGADEL E. FRAUSSE E. LADA
K. CLARKE M. BENON N. LONEY
C. MOREY K. KELLY P. REICH
*** MINUTES ***
Minutes for the October 19 meeting of BCB6 Parks/Recreation/Environmental Protection Committee
At PS 58 The Carroll School 330 Smith Street Brooklyn NY 11231
Agenda:
• Presentation and discussion with representatives for the Department of Sanitation on the department's Compost Program and Fall Leaf Collection, programs designed to encourage the diversion of organic materials out of the household refuse waste stream.
Elsa Fraysee spoke about the demonstration project for collection of organic materials for composting. She stated that the preliminary data being compiled from our area is encouraging. There is now an effort to get homeowners to place stickers on their cans encouraging others to deposit organic material. Questions were raised about the following:
Whether a redesign of the containers to be self-closing could be considered since tenants often do not take due care to close the latch. Whether the sanitation department employees are actually separating the organic material or mingling it with other household garbage.
Whether encouraging non-occupants to use the brown cans would cause inappropriate use of the cans or cause garbage to be strewn about.
She will take our questions and concerns back to the department.
• Presentation and discussion with representatives for the Department of Environmental Protection on the City's intentions for proceeding with the planning, design and construction of the Gowanus Canal retention tanks required under the EPA consent order. • Eric Landau of the NYC DEP spoke about the placement of the 2 storm water retention tanks to be built at the Gowanus Canal.
The City anticipates building larger 8 million gallon tank at the head of the canal rather than at the Thomas Greene Park site. The City states that building the tank at the park would keep the park from reopening for ten years rather than 4 years for a remediation without the placement of the tank there. The toxic areas under the pool and park will be remediated in any event. There will be a replacement pool while the pool is decommissioned for clean up. The use of the head-end site also allows for a head-house (for odor control and cleaning) without reducing usable park space. The City also states that the head-end site is superior for operational efficiency. However, the City must contemporaneously design a plan for the tank being placed at the park site in the event that the City fails to meet deadlines in 2018 for a completed Uniform Land Use Review Process and 2020 for the acquisition of the required private properties by agreement or otherwise. The City is still considering using the Eastern Effects site for a staging area and is in discussions about relocation of the studio. Residents of Sackett Street would prefer if the staging area were elsewhere in the area. DEP states that Con Edison intends to develop it’s site as a substation and Con Edison has condemnation powers similar to that of the City and that site while large enough for staging would have too many legal issue to secure. The Eastern Effects site of approximately 50,000 square feet is appropriate for staging. There are 2 other parcels in the MPG footprint when taken together that also could be used for staging. The Eastern Effects site would allow for a fully enclosed (tented) site for the 7 to 10 years of operations and avoid street closures. Tenting would also provide for additional protections for the use of the park. The City is determining the traffic in the event a location that requires street closures is substituted for the Eastern Effects lot. A further benefit of using the EE lot is that after staging is completed the site would be remediated since the demolition of the existing structure would trigger remediation requirements. The 4 million gallon tank will be at the sanitation department’s salt lot. Issues with respect to setbacks to secure the integrity of the remedy (wall and bulkhead) will determine whether additional private property must be acquired. Setbacks will also determine whether Alloy can successfully develop along side the City at the head-end site. An RFP $78 million for design, EIS, design services, etc. has been completed. This does not include the cost of the tanks themselves, which is estimated to be approximately ½ billion dollars.
• Review and discussion of City Council Intro 349, a local law to amend the administrative code
of the City of New York in relation to notice for the removal of trees.
Glenn fill in the blanks_____________________________________________________
A motion was made by Mark Shames and seconded by _____________to conditionally support City council Intro 349 with the following conditions which were discussed as above ____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________.
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