Waste Management Bows to Pressure, Amends Trash Hauling Plan

Eliminates 1.5 Mile Truck Trip to Maspeth Rail Yard

By Conor Greene

Residents can breathe a sign of relief now that Waste Management has agreed to amend its trash-hauling plan to avoid running trucks between the company’s Review Avenue transfer station and the Maspeth Rail Yard.

As part of the city’s Solid Waste Management Plan, the company is converting its Review Avenue transfer station so that it can utilize the nearby railroad in order to cut down on long-distance truck trips, which are currently needed to get the trash out of the city. While the plan would greatly reduce the overall amount distance driven by 2.2 million miles per year, it would have required multiple trips daily between the transfer station and the rail yard - thus increasing truck traffic in West Maspeth.

That aspect of the plan wasn’t well received by residents or elected officials, who instead urged Waste Management to build a rail spur on its property or utilize the nearby Newton Creek and barge the trash out of the area. Company officials determined there wasn’t enough room on the site to build a rail spur. However, this week, Waste Management announced the plan has been modified to instead utilize New York & Atlantic Railway’s Blissville Yard, which can be accessed exclusively on private roads.

“Following an extensive analysis, we have modified our plan to eliminate the need to move rail containers over city streets, virtually eliminating any traffic impacts,” a company spokeswoman said in a statement. “Our revised plan will eliminate the city’s export of residential waste in long-haul tractor trailer trucks from Western Queens, reducing traffic and vehicle emissions.”

Under the revised plan, Waste Management will receive and containerize residential waste collected from neighborhoods within community boards one through six at the Review Avenue site. The waste would then be driven 2,000 feet west on private roads adjacent to the Long Island Railroad tracks, to the Blissville Yard. There, containers will be loaded onto railcars, which will be moved to the Fresh Pond Yard daily. From there, they will be connected to a CSX long-haul train for transport to landfills outside the city.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), who was involved in the fight to convince Waste Management to amend its plan, called the announcement a “victory” for the neighborhood, as garbage trucks will no longer use Review Avenue. “The change is a step in the right directions. It shows Waste Management is listening and we need to keep the focus on the needs of Maspeth residents.”

Overall, the plan will end the city’s export of 1,200 tons per day of residential trash by truck from Western Queens, eliminating the impact on local roads, the company boasted in a press release announcing the amended plan. The city’s solid waste plan, which was issued in 2006, seeks to ensure each borough is responsible for handling its own waste and to shift trash export from a truck-based system to a rail and barge based system.

The expanded Review Avenue facility will be able to handle up to 2,100 tons per day and will typically receive about 1,150 tons of trash per day. Currently it has a capacity of 958 tons per day, and the original expansion plan would have required about 65 round trip truck trips each day between Review Avenue and the Maspeth Rail Yard.

Waste Management Ripped for Lack of Updates on Transfer Station Plans

By Conor Greene

Unhappy with the lack of updates from Waste Management regarding the company’s plans for a new transfer station on Review Avenue, the chairman of Community Board 5’s Sanitation Committee ripped the company during last week’s meeting.

Waste Management is planning to expand its transfer station on Review Avenue in Long Island City to allow it to increase the amount of trash it receives each day. However, the plan would require the company to place the trash on trucks and transport it about two miles to the rail yard on Rust Street in Maspeth. There, it would be loaded into rail cars to be shipped out of the area.

While the plan would allow Waste Management to sharply reduce the amount of miles trash is driven through city streets, it would require the approximately 1.5 mile trip from Review Avenue to Rust Street, a plan that has been met with strong opposition. Instead, residents and officials are pushing the company to either construct a rail spur on its property so the trash can be loaded directly onto train cars there or to purchase another nearby property and use the Newtown Creek to barge the trash from the area.

At last week’s CB 5 meeting, Sanitation Committee Chairman Paul Kerzner took an unorthodox approach to providing his update: frustrated with the lack of details from Waste Management, he simply read aloud an e-mail exchange between him and a company official. The official responded to his request for an update with a short messages informing him that Waste Management is “actively researching potential options” that would avoid trucking the trash to the rail yard.

In response, Kerzner wrote that the update was “just a bit skimpy for five months,” referring to the amount of time that has elapsed since he requested a status update. He added that he is “truly disappointed with Waste Management’s work product.” The company only said in response to that message that research is still ongoing and that a timetable will be provided once it is available, according to Kerzner.

In a statement to The Forum, a Waste Management spokeswoman said the company has formed a technical team that is studying potential solutions to concerns raised by the community. “It would be premature to speculate or comment further until our research is completed,” wrote Rachel Amar. “We will report back to CB5 as soon as we have concrete results. Waste Management will consult with the community before taking any action.”

Kerzner later told The Forum that he was prompted to call the company onto the carpet since months have passed since CB 5 overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution rejecting the company’s current plan and requesting that other alternatives be explored.

“It has been several months since this motion was made, and I think the board should have a status report,” he said. “I’m waiting for them to produce some results and I’ll be happy to hear what other proposals they have… I’m waiting and so is everyone else.”

Onderdonk House Event ‘Raises the Roof’ in Ridgewood

Funds Will Pay for Emergency Roof Repairs at Historic House

By Conor Greene

The historic Vander Ende-Onderdonk House in Ridgewood has received a new lease on life thanks to a fundraiser that will fund emergency roof repairs at the 1709 Dutch Colonial stone house, which is hidden amid a row of factories along Flushing Avenue.

The house, located at 18-20 Flushing Avenue, was one of a row of similar homes until the 1920s, when “one by one they succumbed to demolition for new factories,” according to Steve Monti of the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society. By the 1950s, the Onderdonk House was the only one left standing, and the society was formed in 1975 to save it after it was slated for demolition.

The building opened to the public in 1981 and has been placed on the national and state registers of historic properties and the city landmarks register. While it has served the community ever since, including through open hours for the public on Saturdays and events with local schools, the building is badly in need of a new roof, said Monte. It was rebuilt back in the late 1970s out of cedar shingles after a fire damaged the house, but has since developed a number of leaks that has left the attic space unusable for events.

In response, local companies including Waste Management stepped up and organized a “Raise the Roof” fundraiser held last Friday on the two-acre property. Attended by a host of officials including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Hugo Gajus Scheltema, the Netherlands Consulate General for New York, the event exceeded the goal of $200,000 needed to move ahead with the emergency repairs.

“We just had a good time, with a jazz band under the tent and the house lit in candlelight,” said Monte. “I think it was a very successful event and raised enough money to at least, from what I understand, do major emergency repairs that will get us through a few years. Then, over the next couple of years we will raise money to pay for a new roof.”

Honored at the event were Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan and Ridgewood civic leader Paul Kerzner for their efforts to support the preservation of the Onderdonk House. “We’re delighted that Mayor Bloomberg and many distinguished guests attended this special event to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Vander Ende-Onderdonk House,” said Linda Monte, president of the historical society.

The event was hosted by Waste Management, which has a facility near the Queens-Brooklyn border and is currently seeking permission to construct a waste transfer station in Maspeth, despite community opposition. “Waste Management is committed to sustainability and to preserving the environment,” said company community relations specialist and event co-chair Rachel Amar. “That commitment extends to maintaining New York’s cultural landmarks such as the Vander Ende-Onderdonk House.”

For the Montes and other historical society members, the event also provided yet another chance to show the hidden property off to the public. “People come by and say they didn’t know this was here,” said Steve Monte. “Just like the Waste Management people, who are interested in history and had no idea that less than a mile from their office we have this place in an area surrounded by warehouses.”

For more information on the Onderdonk House, contact the historical society at (718) 456-1776 or visit onderdonkhouse.com.

Residents, Business Owners Protest Waste Management Expansion Plan

By Conor Greene

Civic leaders and elected officials gathered in front of Waste Management’s Review Avenue property on Monday to call on the city to reconsider its solid waste disposal plan, which will increase the amount of local truck traffic in West Maspeth.

The press conference, which included Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), members of the Juniper Park Civic Association and local business owners, was called in response to a plan by WM to expand its waste transfer station under the city’s Solid Waste Management Plan.

Residents and officials are objecting to the plan because it would require the company to truck residential waste from Review Avenue, where it is delivered by city sanitation trucks, to the Maspeth Rail Yard at Rust Street, a trip of about 1.5 miles each way. Instead, the community is calling on WM to either purchase a nearby property that has access to the existing rail line running through the area or the adjacent Newtown Creek, or to at least build a rail spur on the Review Avenue property, which is next to the track.

“This is just one more example of the city not reaching out to the community to find appropriate solutions,” said Avella. “We’re calling on the city to take a second look at this plan and… together come up with a plan that works. This doesn’t.”

The solid waste management plan was approved by the City Council in 2006. Then Councilmembers Eric Gioia, who represented that section of Long Island City and Maspeth at the time, and Dennis Gallagher, who represented parts of Maspeth, both voted in favor of the plan, according to city records.

The facility is currently permitted to receive up to 958 tons of trash per day. Under the new arrangement, the site will be able to handle up to 2,100 tons per day and will typically receive about 1,150 tons per day. As a result, there would be at least 65 round trip truck trips each day between Review Avenue and the Maspeth Rail Yard.

Crowley, who holds Gallagher’s old seat, said she is “outraged” by the current plan and suggested that WM instead look into using other nearby sites that have creek and rail access, such as the former Phelps Dodge property. She said “it’s not fair for our families” to have the amount of trucks in the area increased, especially since the local asthma rate is “through the roof.”

“Waste Management has to go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that will work for our community,” added Crowley.

Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, noted that the WM facility is located on contaminated land. “So they’re going to build on a toxic site and then pollute the air,” he said. “This whole plan stinks to high heaven.” He also criticized the city for allowing WM to run public hearings on the proposal. “A private company ran a public hearing notifying the public on what’s to come,” he noted.

Holden called on Mayor Bloomberg, who is seeking reelection to a third term in November, to intervene. “If he wants to be mayor for four more years… We haven’t heard any indication that he wants to work with the community,” the civic leader said.

Maspeth civic leader and business owner Tony Nunziato made it clear that this isn’t a case of residents demanding that the project not take place in their backyard. “We’re not saying keep it out – we’re saying put it in the right spot… This is not a case of NIMBY,” said Nunziato. “It’s an easy request.”

Richard Sherman, the second generation owner of Williams Valve Corporation – located on one side of the driveway used by WM to access the facility from Review Avenue – accused the city of ignoring the needs of small businesses. “When it comes to us, they don’t really care,” he charged. “They’re going to permit the expansion of a toxic waste dump… We feel as taxpayers that we have the same rights as anyone else.”

While the WM expansion will only create about 10 additional jobs, Avella pointed out that there ultimately will be a net loss of jobs in the area because neighboring employers are leaving the area as a result of the project. He lamented that the city continues to ignore the input of those living and working near the site. “These people have good suggestions – it’s time [the city] started listening to them.”

Last week, a WM spokeswoman said the company is taking into account the community’s input but wouldn’t say if construction of a rail spur or the purchase of a nearby site is being considered. “We continue to listen to the community comments regarding the Review Avenue project and are evaluating our future options in response to these concerns,” wrote Rachel Amar. “Waste Management can’t speculate on the basis of any rumors.”

A LIRR spokesman said the agency has "not yet received any specific proposal" on allowing WM to use the tracks and will evaluate the plan once it is officially presented.

Cross Harbor Tunnel, Dog Run and Garbage Plan Discussed at CB 5 Meeting

By Conor Greene

This month’s Community Board 5 meeting was highlighted by three old issues that are familiar to many local residents – the cross harbor tunnel project, which is again being discussed, the push for a dog run in Juniper Valley Park, which has come down to money, and Waste Management’s plan to expand its Review Avenue transfer facility.

Cross Harbor Tunnel Plan Resurfaces

District Manager Gary Giordano informed board members and residents that the Port Authority of New Jersey and New York has scheduled a meeting on September 30 for members of the project’s Stakeholders Committee. The meeting will not be open to the public or media and individuals who were not invited will not be allowed to attend.

The Port Authority has taken over as local sponsor for the project’s Environmental Impact Statement, and the meeting is being billed as a chance for various elected officials and civic leaders to provide input in hopes of developing consensus, according to an e-mail sent by Laura Shabe, who is managing the project for the Port Authority.

The plan features a tunnel beneath New York Harbor connecting rail yards in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Jersey City. The Long Island Railroad’s Bay Ridge line would be upgraded and a huge intermodal facility would be built in West Maspeth. Trains would travel through the tunnel and continue to the Fresh Pond Rail Yard in Glendale before switching to an LIRR line to finish the trip to Maspeth. Cargo would be loaded into trucks for transport to destinations around the city, resulting in about 15,000 additional trucks on local streets each day.

Local civic groups protested loudly when the plan was first presented nearly a decade ago by Rep. Jerrold Nadler. In 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his opposition to it during a Juniper Park Civic Association meeting, arguing that the project “really would destroy neighborhoods here in this area.” However, speaking at a July press conference in Brooklyn, the mayor indicated he might support the plan in the future. “There is not going to be tremendous impact on any neighborhoods because they can design it in such a way with multiple terminals and so forth so no particular neighborhood has unmitigated consequences as were feared a number of years ago,” said Bloomberg.

At last Wednesday’s CB 5 meeting, Giordano warned that the project “is being resurrected.” While the September 30 meeting is not open to residents, “eventually they’re going to have to come out to the public with the plan,” said Giordano. “I don’t know who resurrected this, but here we go again… It seemed like a bad plan to a lot of us, but this whole idea is upon us again.” He added that while the area’s rail infrastructure needs to be better utilized, the original plan would have resulted in too large of an impact on Maspeth, which already suffers from heavy truck traffic.

In the message to stakeholders, Shabe noted that the Federal Highway Administration, the lead agency on the project, has broken the EIS into two phases. The first will analyze the marked demand for an improved New York Harbor rail crossing, while phase two will focus on specific site impacts, “resulting in traditional project-level environmental documents.”

Dog Run Funding Questions

While the proposal to have a dog run created in Juniper Valley Park wasn’t raised during CB 5’s budget hearing (see related story), it was discussed later in the meeting in light of a feasibility study recently completed by the city Parks Department on the idea.

Kathy Masi, co-chair of the board’s Parks Committee, reported that “we’ve come to a problem” regarding a request by a group of local dog owners to have a fenced in area created in an area of the park currently used during off-leash hours. “Obviously, what we have now is a group that wants a dog run put in the park,” said Masi. In light of that, the Parks Department conducted a feasibility study to see what could be created if funding can be found to pay for it. The study found the project would cost about $750,000, “which the CB and dog group will have to raise if they decide a dog run is appropriate for the park and the community,” according to a Parks Department statement.

One of the sticking points for opponents is the proposed location within the park, so Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) is instead looking into acquiring vacant land from CSX railroad. “Where we’re at now is, where do we get the money?” added Masi. “I personally, in today’s economic time, just don’t see where those numbers make sense to me,” she said referring to the cost of acquiring the land and building the dog run. Still, the community board has created a subcommittee to further investigate the idea. “This does not put an end to our efforts,” said Masi.

In a statement, a Parks Department spokesman said a plan submitted by the local dog owner group was reviewed by the capital team, which recommended the size be reduced to .75 acres “to better fit the proposed area and preserve ornamental trees in the area.” Other minor changes were also recommended, including a retaining wall. The submitted design was “very preliminary and simple” featuring just an aerial map of the park and a footprint of where the dog run would be located under the dog group’s proposal.

Waste Management Transfer Station

Discussions also continued over Waste Management’s plan to expand its garbage transfer station on Review Avenue to accommodate residential trash from community boards one through six. Earlier this year, board members objected to the plan because it requires trucks to transport the trash from Review Avenue a mile and a half through Maspeth to the rail yard at Rust Street. Instead, the board and local officials are pushing the company to construct a rail spur on its property to eliminate the need for additional truck trips.

Giordano told the audience that officials are pushing Waste Management “to go a little further on the community board’s recommendations for a rail spur.” Since the facility is adjacent to the Newtown Creek, officials are also urging the company to consider barging the trash from the area. “We need to make sure that if more garbage is going to be transported by rail, it be done in a better manner than has been done,” he said.

However, board member Robert Holden later said that he doesn’t think the community should be pushing for a rail spur. Calling the Review Avenue property “an environmental nightmare,” Holden instead argued that the company should look into another site that isn’t heavily contaminated. “We should be encouraging cleanup first and should be asking the mayor to stop this in its tracks,” he said.

Giordano noted that the board had suggested the company pursue other nearby sites such as the former Phelps Dodge property.

A Waste Management spokeswoman said the company is taking into account the community input, but wouldn’t say if construction of a rail spur is being considered. “We continue to listen to community comments regarding the Review Avenue project and are evaluating our future options in response to these concerns,” wrote Rachel Amar. “Waste Management can’t speculate on the basis of any rumors.” She noted that the solid waste plan, of which facility expansion is a part of, will greatly reduce overall truck traffic and create between 15 and 20 new jobs. However, it will lead to an increase in local truck traffic due to the trips between Review Avenue and the Maspeth rail yard.

Officials Push Waste Management to Amend Waste Tranfer Plan

Rail Spur at Review Ave Site Would Help Reduce Truck Traffic

By Conor Greene

Discussions are ongoing between local officials and Waste Management in hopes of convincing the company to build a rail spur adjacent to its Review Avenue transfer station, which would eliminate the need to haul garbage by truck to the Maspeth rail yard.

Waste Management is seeking to expand its existing truck-based solid waste transfer operation at 38-22 Review Avenue with a new rail-based facility that would accept residential trash from neighborhoods within community boards 1-6. However, under the plan the company would transport the trash by truck one-and-a-half miles from Review Avenue to the Maspeth rail yard at Rust Street to access the train line.

Local residents, officials and Community Board 5 members objected to that aspect of the plan and instead want Waste Management to investigate other options that would allow the trash to be placed directly on rails to avoid increasing the amount of truck traffic in that area.

In a resolution approved earlier this year, CB 5 members urged the company to barge the trash directly from the facility, which has access to Newtown Creek, build a rail spur at the site or investigate other nearby properties with rail access such as the former Phelps Dodge site.

Those sentiments were echoed in a July letter to the company from Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), which urges Waste Management to come up with a plan that allows the trash to be directly placed on trains, without the 1.5 mile trip through Maspeth. “Until a new plan is put forward… I cannot and will not support any plan for a truck to truck to rail transfer station,” the lawmaker wrote.

An aide to state Senator Joseph Addabbo has been in discussions with Waste Management officials over the past few months. Now that the senate is in recess, Senator Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) will meet in the coming weeks with the company to discuss the community’s objections to the plan.

“Obviously my constituents have a lot of concerns and… residents, especially those who live right near the area directly impacted, certainly should have their voices heard,” said Addabbo. “I will go to the site and talk to them about their proposal… As an elected official I have to see the project done in the most efficient way with the least minimal impact, not only in the short term but post construction.”

Aside to concerns over truck traffic, residents fear the plan will lead to unsafe conditions for pedestrians and will negatively impact the environment through increased emissions, said Addabbo. “On this particular situation, the residents have a lot of concerns, and some are very critical,” he said.

Gary Giordano, district manager of CB 5, said he is still waiting to officially hear back from Waste Management on the recommendations made in the resolution rejecting the company’s current plan. He said Waste Management has informed him they “are looking into the possibility” of building a rail spur at the Review Avenue facility. “From our point of view we’re just looking not to increase truck traffic in western Queens and specifically along that route from the Review Avenue facility to where Maspeth Avenue meets Rust Street,” said Giordano.

Crowley said her chief of staff, Lydon Sleeper, has been in contact with Waste Management officials, but she has yet to receive word of a revised plan. “It’s a fairly large project and when you think about how much it costs to truck all this garbage a mile away instead of building a spur, it doesn’t make sense economically or environmentally,” said Crowley.

A Waste Management spokeswoman did not return a message seeking comment on the status of discussions between the company and elected officials regarding the plan.

Company Wants to Expand Garbage Facility

Plan Will Increase Truck Traffic in West Maspeth

By Conor Greene

Waste Management is seeking state approval to expand its Long Island City transfer station to handle twice as much garbage each day over its current levels. While the upgrade will allow the company to use trains instead of trucks for long-distance hauling, there is local concern since truck traffic will increase in Maspeth.

The company has applied to the state Department of Environmental Conservation to replace its existing truck-based operation on Review Avenue into a new “rail-based solid waste transfer facility” that would receive residential waste from neighborhoods within Community Boards 1-6 in Queens.

Currently, the trash is brought to the facility and then loaded into tractor-trailers for longdistance hauling to landfills in states such as Virginia. Under the new plan, the trash will be loaded onto rail containers at the Review Avenue facility and trucked several miles over local streets to the rail yard at Maspeth Avenue and Rust Street.

The facility is currently permitted to receive up to 958 tons per day. Under the new arrangement the site will be able to handle up to 2,100 tons per day and will typically receive about 1,150 tons per day, according to the company.

While the project is not subject to the city’s land use review process, the company was required to hold several public information sessions in Sunnyside this past Monday and in Maspeth this past Wednesday. The proposal is part of the city’s Solid Waste Management Plan, which aims to “shift the city’s waste exports from a truck-based system to a rail and barge transportation network, to reduce traffic and vehicle emissions, to ensure each borough is responsible for handling its own waste and to help the city manage its waste in a more sustainable, efficient and cost effective manner.”

However, while the Review Avenue facility is located alongside the Newtown Creek, barges will not be used there, according to the company. Instead, garbage trucks would enter the facility and dump the trash using one of the facility’s five bays. The trash would then be loaded into sealed containers, which are trucked to the rail yard in Maspeth. From there, it would be brought via train to the Fresh Pond Road rail yard in Glendale before it is shipped long-distance to the landfill.

The company boasts that one train containing 15 to 17 cars is the equivalent of between 51 and 58 diesel engine trucks, meaning the project will greatly reduce the amount of mileage driven and emissions produced. Still, there is local concern since the new transfer station will handle garbage from additional communities in Western Queens, since there will be an increase in the amount of trucks bring garbage to the facility, along with the new trips between Review Avenue and the rail yard.

According to a Waste Management spokeswoman, there are currently about 100 city sanitation trucks entering and leaving the facility each day, and about three tractor trailers exiting the facility for long distance hauls. Under the new plan, there will be about 125 DSNY trucks using the facility each day, and an average of four trucks an hour will make the trip to the Maspeth rail yard, replacing the need for long distance hauling.

Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5, said the plan definitely comes at a cost for Maspeth and Long Island City residents. “Unfortunately that’s the price that somebody paid for the greater good, so to speak,” he said. It is certainly going to bring more truck traffic, no doubt about that. “I think what we need to do is work with Waste Management as far as the portions that are somewhat controllable,” he said, referring to issues such as routes and timing.

He also recalled issues last summer with horrific odors emanating from trains hauling garbage in unsealed containers. The trains will go from Maspeth to the Fresh Pond Road yard until they are transported out of the city by CSX. The issue with the odors came when trains were forced to sit idly on tracks near residential areas due to scheduling issues between the disposal company and the railroads.

However, to alleviate these problems, Waste Management has designed a sealed container that company officials say works “pretty well” and is working to improve the timing to prevent trains from sitting in one spot for too long.

Maspeth civic leader Tony Nunziato questioned why the city didn’t demand that Waste Management construct the facility in a location with direct access to train tracks, which would eliminate the need to haul the containers through Maspeth by truck. “I’m all for it, but my main concern is they’re not doing it at one stop,” he said. “If you’re going to make that kind of money, get the facility.”

Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, took exception with the public review process and questioned why the company ran the information sessions, instead of the city. “The more questions you ask, the more you find out this thing stinks to high heaven,” he said. “They’re sealed, but they still produce odors,” he noted of the shipping containers. He also pointed out that the company’s Bronx facility is adjacent to tracks.

“Why didn’t Waste Management buy a facility next to the rail?” questioned Holden. “The city should have demanded it – that’s a real solid waste, not a phony one like this. It’s going to cut down on trucks, but not in our neighborhood. It’s going to create more traffic here, and Maspeth doesn’t need it.”

Waste Management hopes to have the new facility constructed in time to begin accepting waste by February 2011.