Your Letters 6 Proposed Future Site of Our New Sullivan West School

Your Letters 6: Proposed Future Site of Our New Sullivan West School

Steve Israel
Times Herald Record

February 10, 2002

Dear Steve,

Officials of the Sullivan West Central School District have responded to the community's concerns about the contamination of the site of a proposed new high school in Lake Huntington by claiming that the district had met or exceeded government requirements for evaluating environmental issues. Meeting state and federal requirements does not ensure safety.

According to a report coordinated by The Center For Health, Environment and Justice, issued January 21, 2002, "while laws compel children to attend school, there are - astoundingly - no guidelines or laws in place that compel school districts to locate school buildings on property that will protect the school population from environmental health and safety risks."

In a nationally conducted campaign by the Center to educate the public about "inexcusably bad decisions by local school district decision makers," the report has identified locations that it deems unsuitable for the siting of school buildings. Of uppermost concern is the siting of buildings within one half mile of federal Superfund sites (National Priorities List), because they represent the nations worst contaminated sites. The Narrowsburg school building has been specifically identified by the Center as the only school building in Sullivan County located within one half mile of a Superfund site. Sullivan West officials are beginning a $4.8 million refurbishment of this building as a K-6 facility. It is located within one half mile of the Cortese Landfill, federally labeled one of the most environmentally hazardous sites in the United States.

In addition to the Superfund site guidlines, and titled "Categorical Exclusions For School Sites," the report states "under no circumstances shall a school be built on top of or within 1000 feet of a hazardous waste disposal site, a garbage dump, or a site where construction or demolition materials have been disposed of." All three of these elements were identified in the The Environmental Site Assessment for the Lake Huntington site of the proposed new $28 million high school facility that the district is putting out to bid this month.

The report has identified other alarming consistencies in the way school districts site buildings. Ironically, the environmental rules and regulations for the construction of private homes and commercial properties are far more strict than they are for school construction. As a result, landowners are more than willing to "donate" otherwise worthless property to school districts, allowing the district to deal with the environmental issues. Sound familiar? The Lake Huntington site was donated.

This district must re-evaluate its school construction projects in a responsible manner and in accordance with these new guidelines, to ensure the health and safety of our school community.

Sincerely,
Arthur Norden
Callicoon, NY 12723
(845) 887-4288
ajnorden@aol.com

| HOME | Letter Menu |

http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1030959/swletters6.htm
Webmaster: Elaine Dantzler