Well, surprise, surprise! The City is continuing to spin and to tout its alternative plan for the Gowanus clean-up. The latest in this saga involves an email (below) from Amy Chester, Chief-Of-Staff to Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey, about a meeting for home owners and for business owners along the canal.
It was sent to me from a resident of Fort Greene, who was notified by the office of State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. (Thanks goes to State Senator Montgomery who is on top of the Gowanus issue and supports the 'Superfund Site' designation for the Gowanus Canal.)
Problem is, it would appear that residents of the Carroll Gardens/Gowanus community have not gotten the same information.
I live two blocks away from the Gowanus and did not know anything about this.
Bad me. I guess I was supposed to magically find the info on the City's www.gowanusalternative.com web site.
So Typical!!!!!
Below is the email from Amy Chester.
It was sent to me from a resident of Fort Greene, who was notified by the office of State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. (Thanks goes to State Senator Montgomery who is on top of the Gowanus issue and supports the 'Superfund Site' designation for the Gowanus Canal.)
Problem is, it would appear that residents of the Carroll Gardens/Gowanus community have not gotten the same information.
I live two blocks away from the Gowanus and did not know anything about this.
Bad me. I guess I was supposed to magically find the info on the City's www.gowanusalternative.com web site.
So Typical!!!!!
Below is the email from Amy Chester.
Subject Gowanus Canal Meetings June 23 and 24th at 6pm Hello,We just wanted make sure that you know that the Mayor’s Office has planned2 meetings for the property owners who are adjacent to the Gowanus Canal todiscuss the proposed listing and the City’s alternative plan. You are ofcourse, welcome to attend.The info is as follows:· Meeting for homeowners who live near the Canal Tuesday,June 23 at 6 p.m., at P.S. 32 (317 Hoyt Street).· Meeting for business owners located near the CanalWednesday, June 24 at 6 p.m., at P.S. 32 (317 Hoyt Street).The meeting information is also available on our websitewww.gowanusalternative.comWe hope to see you there.Best.AmyAMY CHESTERCHIEF OF STAFF TO DEPUTY MAYOR KEVIN SHEEKEYCITY HALLNEW YORK, NY 10007212.788.2154AChester@cityhall.nyc.govwww.nyc.gov
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8 comments:
The City has now had plenty of time now to work on their spin. But they are obviously ineffective about notifying. If anyone would have the info about residents and businesses along the Gowanus, the City should. And, heh, they left out residents. Not all residents are homeowners. I guess the actions and opinions of residents don't count as far as the City is concerned.
Will the EPA have a presence at these meetings, too? Seems only fair that if the City imparts info, that the EPA should also - so that community members are well informed and don't just get the City's slant. After all, the City made sure they were there when the EPA met with the community.If the EPA is not there when the City sets up a mtg., these meetings would not be in good faith.
I wish we could re-redistrict. I want Senator Montgomery back.
I am a homeowner and live practically across the street from the canal and have not received any notice of this meeting nor has anyone else that I have asked.
Obviously, the city is desperate to drum up support for their newly invented alternative plan especially since the community overwhelmingly supports the EPA. It looks like Bloomberg can't buy everything after all.
I live on Bond Street and have not received any notification about this meeting. Perhaps we will all receive some glossy un-environmentally sound fliers in the mail this weekend about it.
Most people in the community that I speak to can not understand why the city is so dead set against the EPA superfunding. Nobody sees it as a stigma and are glad for it. The city has neglected the canal for years, now that their developments are stalled they are suddenly concerned.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what their motivation is.
I own both a home and run business in the Gowanus area and NO ONE has notified me. PMFA seems to be EPA-biased - when will the EPA give notice to people they intend to sue?
This superfund is an eviction notice to Gowanus business – my attorney has advised me to relocate to Sunset Park so I’m leaving in the fall.
So long Gowanus and Pardon me for Asking but please don’t superfund the Sunset Park brownfields!
Dear 7:26
During its last presentation, the EPA clearly stated that individual homeowners would not be sued unless they were were running a meth lab or some similar polluting enterprise. What kind of business do you have? Just wondering...
STOP THE SPIN AND STOP THE STEALTH! THE CITY OF NEW YORK (MAYOR BLOOMBERG) IS GETTING CAUGHT WITH HIS PANTS DOWN ON THIS VITAL HEALTH/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSSUE. SHAME ON BLOOMIE! SCIENCE MATTERS! HUMAN HEALTH MATTERS! Why all the secret flyers and now the secret meetings? To refute the science of course! (Make the facts go away!) IS BLOOMIE trying to re-create the Middle Ages in Greater Gowanus by burning all the science books and EPA findings? Where's the "Green" mayor when you need him?
Let's watch Bloomie take a "nice" canoe trip with all the youngest members of his family REAL SOON on the Gowanus Canal! I am sure the Dredgers will help him.
Doesn't the Mayor care about the health of ALL New Yorkers not just the few wealthy white ones he seems to like to help get rich?
I am a homeowner and live two blocks from the canal and have not received any notice of this meeting nor has anyone else that I have asked. I am NOT surprised however.
Financial "guru" Bloomberg can NOT be trusted to clean this canal. For him it's all about a trade of CASH for HEALTHY residents. Simply put he does not give a crap!
All the proof I need to remain PRO SUPERFUND (which I have been since the get go) is right here in the STEALTH way the City is trying to hold secret meetings. Two weeks ago it was the mysterious stealth flyer designed to alarm people and paid for by slick developer lobbyists who are close friends with the Mayor......They featured the names of all the Local POLS and had misinformation written all over them. It looked like every POL was anti Superfund and was a blatant attempt to spin the issue.
They confused the few residents here still naive enough to trust the City.. Now we have this: stealth meetings with a few select anti-SUPERFUND people to convince WHO? that Superfund is unpopular?
Everyone I know is PRO SUPERFUND! When will these spin doctors ever stop? Something is very fishy here.
I hope Bloomie can smell it where he lives too. It stinks.
7:26 - I don't know what your attorney is basing her/his advice on telling you that as a business owner you should relocate to Sunset Park from Gowanus. There must be details you are not divulging - because this makes no sense whatsoever. If anything, no EPA Superfund spells greater threat of quicker death to business in Gowanus, because the way this battle is being played out -residential development/overdevelopment will come more quickly to Gowanus. I have a business, and my attorney definitely did NOT advise me to leave Gowanus now.
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