Sunday, September 29, 2013

Gowanus Canal to Mayoral Hopefuls DeBlasio and Lhota: "STAND BY ME!!"


CG CORD Newsletter 9/29/2013

Gowanus Canal to Mayoral Hopefuls DeBlasio and Lhota:  STAND BY ME!!


Hello from CORD!

Tomorrow the EPA is expected to announce the ROD/Record of Decision for the Gowanus Canal. All of Brooklyn is anxiously awaiting the decision, especially those of us most directly impacted by the fetid waters.

In light of this imminent news, we at CORD thought it to be the perfect moment to re-ask our questions regarding thGowanus Canal clean-up to the mayoral candidates that we recently posted to the Brian Lehrer Show (see below)  for the then, Democratic mayoral candidates, which by the way, not one of them ever answered....



Fast forward to today...



The Mayoral race will be between Democrat Bill deBlasio and Republican Joe Lhota. 
Which Mayoral Candidate will be the greatest friend of the highly contaminated Gowanus Canal and the immediate surrounding areas and which one will stand by the most comprehensive Gowanus Canal clean-up?

DeBlasio, a Park Slope resident, currently serving as NYC Public Advocate, was our very own District 39 Councilman during the time that the Gowanus Canal was proposed as a possible Superfund Site by the EPA (Link to EPA site).



Many in our District have been very engaged and have closely followed the EPA process. Many others have served on the Community Advisory Group (CAG) which has worked closely with the EPA from the actual designation right up to now.


 

Joe Lhota, formerly a high ranking member of the Giuliani administration and then an MTA head, is probably less familiar with our situation.

We know where Public Advocate deBlasio stood when the canal was proposed. We believe the quote was, "it is not that dirty..."

Perhaps the science provided by the EPA studies since then have changed his mind? Perhaps Mr Lhota has gotten up to speed with the facts surrounding the Gowanus Canal?
It IS, after all, the VERY FIRST SUPERFUND SITE IN NEW YORK CITY!!
Pretty historical...and certainly worthy of some attention from the men who would be Mayor.......Let's find out.
Gentlemen:
Here are the questions. We eagerly await your response.

"Carroll Gardens CORD/Coalition for Respectful Development has three questions for Mayoral Candidates De Blasio and Lhota:

Q. Will you, as the next NYC mayor, comply completely without opposition to whatever the final EPA record of decision demands regarding the Gowanus Canal clean-up in Brooklyn? Specifically, will you agree to finance the retention tanks in the locations currently proposed by the EPA?

Q. Who among you will be brave enough to scrap the idea of high density housing on the spectacularly compromised/ environmentally hazardous Public Place site and return it to the NYC Parks Department for our green space use as was originally intended and is certainly more environmentally appropriate and safer health-wise for all??

Q. Who among you disagrees with the plan to place housing in the flood zone A along the Gowanus Canal, a zone that suffered immense flooding all the way to Bond Street during Hurricane Sandy 2012, more flooding during the Hurricane of 2011, AND what is now referred to as the "Poo Poo Tsunami" or massive untreated sewage wave surge after the tornado of 2010? In other words who among you is in disagreement with placing brand new housing and unsuspecting new residents in the path of the next toxic storm surge?

We look forward to your responses at


CORD!

Friday, September 27, 2013

The ROD is coming. The ROD is coming!

CG CORD Newsletter 9/27/2013
Hello from CORD

The EPA ROD is coming!

At Tuesday night's general CAG meeting, Natalie Loney, the EPA Community Coordinator, made it very clear that the EPA will be publicly issuing the Record of Decision (the ROD, for short) for our Gowanus Canal Superfund site.

What's the big deal? Well, the ROD, although just another step in the Superfund process, is actually the legally binding document that
Makes the clean up a reality.

Without the ROD, there would be no ability for the EPA to proceed with the cleanup---which in spite of what some may think, has not really begun.

What exactly is in the ROD? Well, it will clearly define exactly what measures the EPA will be taking in order to get our canal cleaned up.

We will have to wait for the details but we are expecting and hoping for. dredging capping and an address (finally!) of those nasty CSO's.

We will have to wait for the details bu we should all heave a sigh of relief once the ROD is issued since it marks a no turning back point for the long awaited cleanup.

Our research tells us that there has never been, in EPA history,  a project pulled back once the Record of Decision (ROD) has been reached.

That means even a change in administrations, local, state or federal cannot block our clean up.

This is an historic moment. Stay tuned for the announcement and enjoy it!

The ROD is coming.....wait for it!



CORD

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Questions for Christine Quinn AND all the NYC Mayoral Candidates


CG CORD Newsletter 9/07/2013

Here is the CG CORD response posted on the Brian Lehrer Show today
Meet the Candidates:

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2013/sep/04/candidate-de-blasio/#commentform


"Carroll Gardens CORD/Coalition for Respectful Development has three questions for Ms. Quinn, (Mr. DeBlasio) and ALL the NYC mayoral candidates:

Q. Will you, as the next NYC mayor, comply completely without opposition to whatever the final EPA record of decision demands regarding the Gowanus Canal clean-up in Brooklyn?  Specifically, will you agree to finance the retention tanks in the locations currently proposed by the EPA?

Q.  Who among you will be brave enough to scrap the idea of high density housing on the spectacularly compromised/ environmentally hazardous Public Place site and return it to the NYC Parks Department for our green space use as was originally intended and is certainly more environmentally appropriate and safer health-wise for all??

Q.  Who among you disagrees with the plan to place housing in the flood zone A along the Gowanus Canal, a zone that suffered immense flooding all the way to Bond Street during Hurricane Sandy 2012, more flooding during the Hurricane of 2011, AND what is now referred to as the "Poo Poo Tsunami" or massive untreated sewage wave surge after the tornado of 2010?  In other words who among you is in disagreement with placing brand new housing and unsuspecting new residents in the path of the next toxic storm surge?

We look forward to your responses at
cgcord@gmail.com

Thank you

CG CORD 
PS Please feel free to pass these questions on to all the mayoral candidates in the coming democratic primary Sept. 10!!

Sal Albanese http://www.salalbanese2013.com
Bill DeBlasio http://www.billdeblasio.com/ 
John Liu http://www.liunewyork.com
Christine Quinn http://www.quinnfornewyork.com/
Erick Salgadon http://www.salgadonyc.com/
Bill Thomppson http://www.billthompsonformayor.com/
Anthony Weiner http://www.anthonyweiner.com/

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Questions for Bill DeBlasio AND all the NYC Mayoral Candidates

CG CORD Newsletter 9/05/2013

Here is the CG CORD response posted on the Brian Lehrer Show today
Meet the Candidates:

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2013/sep/04/candidate-de-blasio/#commentform


"Carroll Gardens CORD/Coalition for Respectful Development has three questions for Mr. DeBlasio and ALL the NYC mayoral candidates:

Q. Will you, as the next NYC mayor, comply completely without opposition to whatever the final EPA record of decision demands regarding the Gowanus Canal clean-up in Brooklyn?  Specifically, will you agree to finance the retention tanks in the locations currently proposed by the EPA?

Q.  Who among you will be brave enough to scrap the idea of high density housing on the spectacularly compromised/ environmentally hazardous Public Place site and return it to the NYC Parks Department for our green space use as was originally intended and is certainly more environmentally appropriate and safer health-wise for all??

Q.  Who among you disagrees with the plan to place housing in the flood zone A along the Gowanus Canal, a zone that suffered immense flooding all the way to Bond Street during Hurricane Sandy 2012, more flooding during the Hurricane of 2011, AND what is now referred to as the "Poo Poo Tsunami" or massive untreated sewage wave surge after the tornado of 2010?  In other words who among you is in disagreement with placing brand new housing and unsuspecting new residents in the path of the next toxic storm surge?

We look forward to your responses at
cgcord@gmail.com

Thank you

CG CORD

CORD HISTORY:

With the "Protect Our Homes" petition, CORD was formed in May, 2007. This petition arose as an overwhelmingly negative response to the coming of the over-sized 360 Smith Street Development at the corner of Smith Street and Second Place (Aka Oliver House; aka 131 Second Place). This petition, which had well over three thousand signatures, led to a new zoning text amendment in summer of 2008.

To: Our Elected Officials, Community Leaders, The MTA:
(MAY, 2007)

We the undersigned Carroll Gardens homeowners and residents, are appalled by the "as of right" ruling which allows owners and developers to erect buildings in our neighborhood with no regard to the impact they will present to our quality of life and the value of our homes........

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?crlgrdns