Flood Mitigation (Street Raising) Project Update

I received the following email from Dan Mundy of the Civic Association late last night......

Spoke with Maura McCarthy today --I had previously sent her an email asking that she give me an update as to where we were with the street raising project and she called me today to report that :

-  95.5% of the residents on West 11th,12th and 13th roads (the initial three blocks) had returned their waivers and were in support of the project moving forward. This is real progress and critical to the project and confirms the communities support to see this plan enacted. 

-  She has a meeting with DEP to discuss their  input on the plan regarding the water drainage system. This meeting should take place within the next two weeks to ensure that they are in agreement with the current proposal.

- She will contact me by the end of the month at which time she will have received DEP input and will be able to address the issue of where we are regarding a timetable. It appears that due to the storm and its affects on all of the agencies that we have been pushed back somewhat. At that time she will also be able to speak to where they are regarding the necessary DEC permits.

Dan Mundy

For the record.....

There will have to be a real conversation regarding any "timetable" for this project in light of the ongoing restoration efforts of those homes damaged by the October 29th storm surge.

Presently the majority of West 12th Road residents are displaced (only six homes occupied on West 12th Road) with construction ongoing at some. The remaining are dealing with  FEMA and/or their respective insurance companies in an effort to finally obtain funds for the required restoration.

Although construction of the end of street bulkheads could possibly be undertaken this spring/summer, the amount of work left to be done to make resident homes habitable again would preclude the street raising from starting until all these repairs are completed.

We will start to canvass all W12th Road home owners in an effort to ascertain a realistic projection of home repair completion and will pass that on to Commissioner McCarthy when we obtain it.

  

   

Sanitation Storm Debris Collection Deadline Extended

The Broad Channel Civic Association has just received notification from Councilman Ulrich that he has persuaded the city to extend sanitation bulk pickup until February 18th. This will be the final extension to the bulk pick up. Sanitation has indicated that there will not be another extension and after February 18th the homeowner will be responsible to procure a private garbage carting company to remove bulk debris
 
Dan Mundy

"It's Blood Sucking Advertising...."

Marketing campaign targets Sandy victims with threats of hefty fines

Letters claiming residents could be fined up to $25,000 a day for oil spills are part of a sales tactic, state officials say

BY  HENRICK KAROLISZYN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 Broad Channel homeowner Marianna Beck received a letter saying she could be on the hook for up to $25,000 a day in fines for Sandy-related oil spills. The letter turned out to be what appears to be a marketing campaign designed to drive unsuspecting homeowners to a private clean-up company. Beck called the threatening letter “blood-sucking advertising.”

A firm that cleans up oils spills is preying on Sandy-battered homeowners by circulating an official looking letter threatening hefty fines, angry residents said.

The letterhead logo is similar to that of the state Department of Environmental Conservation and states it is from the “Department of Environmental Remediation” — a phantom agency.

“Any person who discharges petroleum without a permit and fails to promptly clean up such prohibited discharge may be subject to a penalty of up to $25,000 a day,” states the ominous warning, mailed to Broad Channel and Rockaway residents last month.

Locals already under stress from trying to pick up the pieces of their lives were not amused.

“It looks like when life is unsettled the scum rises to the top,” said Marianna Beck, 60, who had the first floor of her Broad Channel home destroyed in the storm. “It’s blood-sucking advertising.”

The letter, dated Dec. 7, appears to be designed to scare unsuspecting homeowners to hire G.C. Environmental Inc., a Bayshore, L.I., company.

The DEC has a “Division” of Environmental Remediation that responds to hazardous spills, but is not affiliated with the company, agency officials said in a statement.

The president and owner of G.C. Environmental said Friday that the letters were sent by an “outside marketing consultant.”

“There’s nothing fraudulent about what we did,” Gregory Collins insisted, refusing to name the consultant. “The concept was for homeowners to be made aware when they didn’t even know they had spill numbers. There’s been no harm done. We educated everybody.”

The DEC has assigned “spill numbers” to more than 4,600 Sandy-related spills and this information is public, Collins said.

The targeted homeowners said it was a cruel marketing scheme.

Scott Blutstein, 26, a teacher who lives on Beach 133rd St. in Belle Harbor, said he felt preyed upon.

“The letter arrived just as the fear of looting was subsiding,” he said. “We thought being preyed upon was over. It’s horrendous that a company would do this.”

A spokeswoman for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the office is investigating the issue.

“When we learned of this matter we immediately contacted the company and advised them to immediately cease and desist, and we are currently reviewing further legal action,” said spokeswoman Michelle Hook.

The Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York said G.C. Environmental isn’t in its directory of 4.5 million companies.

“It does make you wonder,” said CEO Claire Rosenzweig. “People need to recognize what they’re reading to see if the company is selling a service.”

Rosenzweig said the BBB is creating a report on its website about the company.

DEC officials said they would not be fining residents for Sandy-related oil discharges and called the marketing campaign a scam.

“It is unconscionable that a company would try to take advantage of hurricane victims by threatening fines and then promoting the company as a solution,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said in a statement.

Collins insisted the “intent was not to take advantage of people.”

“It was to alert people to the regulations and the services we provide,” he said.

Sandy victims said they didn’t buy it.

Gina DiCecco, 28, whose Broad Channel home was inundated with 4 feet of water, said the letter infuriated her.

“I find it to be disgusting that while people are stressing enough trying to figure out how to make their homes home again, these letters add to the stress,” she said. “It’s not right.”

Santa Visits the VFW in Broad Channel....

Early on the morning of Saturday, December 22, 2012, Santa’s helpers were busy stacking toys and gifts inside the VFW Post for the children of Broad Channel whose homes had been impacted by “Hurricane  Sandy.”

 Shortly before noon, the big man himself arrived and prepared to greet and speak with each of the children waiting patiently outside in the cold. 

At noon the front doors opened and for the next several hours hundreds of Broad Channel children and their parents enjoyed a little bit of the "Christmas Season" as they spoke with Santa and then wandered around the VFW hall which had been stacked high with over a thousand toys and presents.

The event was widely covered over the next several days on radio (CBS-880 and 1010-WINS) as well as NY 1.

A very special thank you to Dr.Kit Uvino and her merry band of elves at the VFW and the "Guardians of Rescue" for making this difficult time a little "merrier" for all of us here in Broad Channel.