Here is a statement from Bill Arnold,
Chairman of Middleport Community Input Group...
In FMC's latest statement regarding the remediation of the school grounds they make a valid but obsolete observation. It is true that after the 1999-2000 school yard remediation, the state agencies provided written assurance that the entire school yard was safe for usage as a school. However I have been told by a school board member that the state has now told the board to disregard that written assurance.
This is an example of the ever changing parameters of remediation in Middleport and New York State. Over the past 25+ years we have gone from just cleaning up the FMC site, to cleaning up the ditches along the railroad tracks, to cleaning up the football field at the school, to cleaning up a large part of the village, to cleaning up the whole school yard which was once deemed safe.
The school board had little choice in this matter. The DEC has now flagged the school grounds as contaminated after taking hundreds of samples over the the entire school yard except the previously cleaned up football field and the parking lot this past August . The State Education Department has stated they may not approve any capital repairs of improvements for the school while this "flag" is in place. Hence the Board of Education was backed into a corner.
When the school yard is done, perhaps at the latest in 2018, will the football field be as clean as the rest of the school yard? Maybe not. Will it have to be torn up and remediated again? Who knows!
For more information on the remediation in Middleport go to the web site for the Middleport Community Input Group at www.middleport-future.com
In FMC's latest statement regarding the remediation of the school grounds they make a valid but obsolete observation. It is true that after the 1999-2000 school yard remediation, the state agencies provided written assurance that the entire school yard was safe for usage as a school. However I have been told by a school board member that the state has now told the board to disregard that written assurance.
This is an example of the ever changing parameters of remediation in Middleport and New York State. Over the past 25+ years we have gone from just cleaning up the FMC site, to cleaning up the ditches along the railroad tracks, to cleaning up the football field at the school, to cleaning up a large part of the village, to cleaning up the whole school yard which was once deemed safe.
The school board had little choice in this matter. The DEC has now flagged the school grounds as contaminated after taking hundreds of samples over the the entire school yard except the previously cleaned up football field and the parking lot this past August . The State Education Department has stated they may not approve any capital repairs of improvements for the school while this "flag" is in place. Hence the Board of Education was backed into a corner.
When the school yard is done, perhaps at the latest in 2018, will the football field be as clean as the rest of the school yard? Maybe not. Will it have to be torn up and remediated again? Who knows!
For more information on the remediation in Middleport go to the web site for the Middleport Community Input Group at www.middleport-future.com
