To Clean Plant On Ridgewood/Bushwick Border
Radioactive material found at a site on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border has prompted a response from city and federal officials, Brooklyn Community Board 4 learned at its Wednesday, Oct. 17 meeting at the Hope Gardens Senior Center.
Members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined city officials in providing an overview of efforts to clean up the Wolff Alport site, at 1125-1139 Irving Ave. on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border.
The Department of Health’s Andy Karam explained that from the 1920s to the 1950s, a company on the site processed minerals that contained rare earth elements. The waste products from that site contained radioactive materials (notably thorium), and the waste products were left on site or sent down the sewers.
“When they were doing this, what they were doing is legal,” he noted, but by the 1980s, the city and state found that there was radioactive contamination on the site.
The radiation found on the site was found to be within acceptable levels for that time, but “the limits have changed and become more restrictive,” and now fall above acceptable levels. It was later noted that a post-Sept. 11, 2001 fly-over of the area led the EPA to revisit the site as well as others in the city.
The radioactive material on the site emits 8,800 mg on average; for comparison, the body receives 1 mg a day from natural sources, and an XEPA ray scan emits 2,000 mg a day. It takes about 100,000 mg to make a human being sick.
“Nobody’s going to get radiation sickness from Wolff Alport,” he stated, but warned that long-term exposure to elevated levels of radiation could cause problems.
The EPA’s Paul Giardina stated that the agency will work to make radiation levels at the site as low as possible. The soil near the area, the nearby railroad line and local sewers will be tested, and the site’s basement areas will be ventilated to remove radioactive gases. Any items located on the site will be removed.
Eric Daly, who will coordinate the on-scene cleanup, noted that the EPA will also measure radiation at nearby P.S./I.S. 384 and the Audrey Johnson Day Care Center as “more of a proactive method;” previous tests at the public school found no radiation.
Charcoal canisters will be placed in strategic locations-notably in basements-that will absorb any radiation in the area.
The entire area will be surveyed with “real-time” instruments to measure radiation throughout.
His partner, Mike Ferriola, noted that elevated radiation levels have been found near the rail line that runs behind the site. The line will be fenced off and a layer of concrete will be added to act as shielding.
In addition, a “test shielding pilot study” will see two 1/2-inch think steel sheets or concrete slabs placed on sidewalks around Irving Avenue to see which material will do the best job of shielding pedestrians from radiation.
The EPA has been working aggressively to find the owners responsible for the site; Ferriola noted that finding the owner has proved “a real challenge.”
The agency has met with the owners of adjacent properties; the EPA’s Cecilia Echols noted that children of local schools were given notices to take home to parents and that she “went door-to-door” visiting area businesses and homeowners. The EPA also met with local lawmakers on Oct. 10.
Daly noted that the cleanup should take two months after the start “if everything was perfect;” Ferriola added that an exact timeline was difficult to predict.
Board 4 Chairperson Julie Dent, who also serves on the board of the Johnson Day Care Center, told agency representatives that the agency can use the center as a staging area. She also suggested a public meeting near the area for local residents.
Bike corral
Jennifer Harris-Hernandez of the city Department of Transportation presented a proposal for a 10-space “bike corral” in front of 30 Wyckoff Ave., in front of the Wyckoff Starr coffee shop.
The 27-foot-long set of bike parking loops would be placed on the street, not the sidewalk, resulting in the loss of “1.5” parking spots, she noted; placing the corral on the sidewalk was infeasible due to its length, which would “create a fence” preventing people from getting out of a car if one were parked alongside it.
Wyckoff Starr has collected 350 signatures on a petition in favor of the corral, and owner Scott McGibney has signed a “good neighbor agreement” promising to be responsible for the site’s upkeep.
One bike corral was already proposed at North 11th Street between Wythe and Kent avenues in Williamsburg; two corrals have already been installed in Brooklyn’s Park Slope and Manhattan’s East Village.
However, several board members balked at the proposal, fearing that this would lead to local businesses throughout Bushwick asking for the corrals and reducing area parking.
“I go around and around looking for a parking spot and I can’t get out,” said Board 4’s Robert Camacho. “I wish the DOT could give me a spot in front of my house.”
Eliseo Ruiz, who heads the Transportation Committee, announced his group’s opposition to the plan during his report, calling it “unsafe” due to the lack of a bike lane on Wyckoff Avenue.
He suggested the installation of standard circular bike racks on the sidewalk.
McGibney would later explain that “I’d love to put a bike rack there” but the city has disallowed it.
The proposal was later tabled and will be revisited in November.
New Parks rules
Camacho announced that the Parks Department has revised its rules for outdoor leagues playing in Bushwick parks.
Spring leagues must apply between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15, 2013 if they wish to use any fields in the neighborhoods; permits will be issued on Jan. 30, 2013.
Fall leagues must apply between April, 15 and June 15, 2013, with approval on June 30, 2015.
No vendors will be allowed in the parks, and violators will receive summonses. Signs will be installed at the entrances of local fields.
An information session will be held at the next Parks Committee meeting on Nov. 14 at the Board 4 offices on 1420 Bushwick Ave.
These rules are for Bushwick parks only, and preference will be given for leagues that are for Bushwick residents, Camacho told the Times Newsweekly.
In addition, Whitted announced that plans for a skate park at a lot near the Johnson Day Care Center are in the works.
Other news
Dent noted that according to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, over 200 prostitution arrests have been made in the borough since this time last year.
District Manager Nadine Whitted relayed word of a recent meeting with the new Brooklyn Postmaster, who stated that the U.S. Postal Service is looking to hire temporary carriers for the holiday season.
In addition, the agency is looking for businesses to serve as locations for its “gopost” service. These gopost units are self-service lockers that can accept parcel packages.
Whitted also lamented that the Horace Greene Day Care Center, which was run by the Bushwick Improvement Society, has been turned over by the city to new management. Later in the meeting, Camacho, who served on the board of the Bushwick Improvement Society, expressed appreciation to the board for its help.
Board 4’s Austen Martinez expressed concern that many applicants for liquor licenses are claiming to be restaurants but are actually operating as nightclubs.
Brooklyn Community Board 4 will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 14 (a week earlier than usual) to accomodate the Thanksgiving holiday. The board usually meets at the Hope Gardens Senior Center at 195 Linden St.
