Monday, November 16, 2009

More Trouble at Toxic Abadi Site At 455-459 Smith Street

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photo credit: Reader J

This week-end's high winds knocked down a few sections of the construction fence surrounding the Abadi/ Vichar site at 455-459 Smith Street. Instead of being nailed up again, the sections were removed, leaving a huge gap in the fence. As of Friday morning, the extremely toxic site is wide open to the public. The Abadi property has been declared a brownfield site due to the contaminated soil and coal tar left behind by the old Brooklyn Union Gas Company and various other industries. It is also next to the equally toxic six acre Public Place site, which the city intends to turn into a mixed-use development with over 700 units of low and middle -income housing after remediation. Leaving the 455-459 Smith Street property wide open is not only a violation, it is also an incredible health hazard. As though the toxins in the ground aren't dangerous enough, the Bond Street sewer pipe is accessible from the site. It is only covered by a piece of metal. Someone could easily fall in.
At the Abadi Site: Opening to Bond Street Sewer Pipe
photo credit: Reader J. 
The New York City Buildings Department just recently lifted a Stop-Work Order on the Abadi/Vichar site. It was rather surprising, since there are still 18 ECB and 7 DOB active violations on record But on November 14th, the site was hit with a new partial stop-work order for an expired permit. 

Newest partial stop-work order served on November 14th After all the violations, stop-work orders and partial building collapse at the site in August, one has to wonder why the D.O.B. and the Department of Environmental Conservation do not monitor the Abadi/Vichar property more closely. There simply is no excuse. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is an outrage, and a serious health hazard to the community!

Anonymous said...

Is the EPA asleep at the wheel? When are they going to do something about this?!

Joe Nardiello said...

Thank YOU for doing the kind of reporting that's just not done (maybe now impossible) from our newspapers. Fact: our First wave of journalism, maybe our most responsive to the community's needs -- are bloggers, clearly.

Kelly said...

Thanks, Joe,

Clearly, there is a need for the kind of hyper-local reporting done by bloggers.
What amazes me is that so many times, bloggers have to point out dangerous situations to city agencies.