Rally held to expedite cleanup of Bethpage park where 16 chemical drums were unearthed
Community members outside Bethpage Public Library on Thursday evening where they demanded that cleanup efforts speed up at Bethpage Community Park. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Nearly 100 area residents rallied Thursday evening to demand an expedited cleanup of Bethpage Community Park, a former dumping ground of Grumman Aerospace where contractors involved in an ongoing remediation effort last month unearthed 16 concrete-encased chemical drums.
Rally attendees outside Bethpage Public Library held signs that read “22 years is enough,” referencing the more-than-two-decades that have passed since the closure of the park's ballfields.
“There's no end in sight,” said lifelong Bethpage resident Don Schiavetta, 61, a member of the Bethpage Chamber of Commerce, at the rally.
“The residents of Bethpage have been patient,” Schiavetta added, “and I believe we deserve better.”
Bethpage Fire Commissioner Greg Patsos, who also attended the rally, expressed frustration that an entire generation has been unable to play baseball or softball at the park.
“There has been more than enough time for the government and local entities to get this situation under control,” Patsos said, echoing the sentiments of many others in attendance.
Matt Sherwood, 34, standing beside his wife, Stephanie, and their 2-year-old daughter, said he hoped to one day be able to enjoy the park with his family.
“My daughter needs this park,” he said.
In a statement Thursday, Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the town encourages “all Long Islanders to join us in calling on the state Department of Environmental Conservation to hold Grumman fully accountable for the immediate removal of all contaminated soils at the park along with the costs associated with restoring the park, ballfield and other amenities.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement Thursday that the agency is “not pleased with what we found at the ballfield” adding that the DEC is overseeing the work at the site “to make sure that there isn’t a risk to public health and the environment.”
DEC officials said Wednesday that scans of the former ballfield area using ground-penetrating radar turned up what may be an additional object buried outside the immediate pit area where the drums were excavated.
That would mean possibly two more objects could need to be dug up because the agency confirmed Tuesday that a different “potential anomaly” had been found.
Northrop Grumman, the corporate successor to Grumman Aerospace, said in a statement Thursday it “remains committed to working with all stakeholders to provide scientifically-sound remediation efforts that continue to protect the health of the community and the environment.”
Beginning in early April, contractors for Northrop Grumman discovered a first layer of concrete-encased drums under the park’s former ballfields while drilling a well to check an existing soil sampling system at the park.
Initial tests showed the first six drums contained waste petroleum and chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene (TCE), a known carcinogen.
Test results on the contents of the other 10 drums haven't been released. Last week, state and town officials said equipment issues at the facility that tests drum contents and soil samples had been delaying lab results.
Grumman donated land for the park to the town in 1962 and contamination was found in the soil in 2002. The town sued the company last year over the pace and thoroughness of the cleanup.
Nearly 100 area residents rallied Thursday evening to demand an expedited cleanup of Bethpage Community Park, a former dumping ground of Grumman Aerospace where contractors involved in an ongoing remediation effort last month unearthed 16 concrete-encased chemical drums.
Rally attendees outside Bethpage Public Library held signs that read “22 years is enough,” referencing the more-than-two-decades that have passed since the closure of the park's ballfields.
“There's no end in sight,” said lifelong Bethpage resident Don Schiavetta, 61, a member of the Bethpage Chamber of Commerce, at the rally.
“The residents of Bethpage have been patient,” Schiavetta added, “and I believe we deserve better.”
Bethpage Fire Commissioner Greg Patsos, who also attended the rally, expressed frustration that an entire generation has been unable to play baseball or softball at the park.
“There has been more than enough time for the government and local entities to get this situation under control,” Patsos said, echoing the sentiments of many others in attendance.
Matt Sherwood, 34, standing beside his wife, Stephanie, and their 2-year-old daughter, said he hoped to one day be able to enjoy the park with his family.
“My daughter needs this park,” he said.
In a statement Thursday, Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the town encourages “all Long Islanders to join us in calling on the state Department of Environmental Conservation to hold Grumman fully accountable for the immediate removal of all contaminated soils at the park along with the costs associated with restoring the park, ballfield and other amenities.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement Thursday that the agency is “not pleased with what we found at the ballfield” adding that the DEC is overseeing the work at the site “to make sure that there isn’t a risk to public health and the environment.”
DEC officials said Wednesday that scans of the former ballfield area using ground-penetrating radar turned up what may be an additional object buried outside the immediate pit area where the drums were excavated.
That would mean possibly two more objects could need to be dug up because the agency confirmed Tuesday that a different “potential anomaly” had been found.
Northrop Grumman, the corporate successor to Grumman Aerospace, said in a statement Thursday it “remains committed to working with all stakeholders to provide scientifically-sound remediation efforts that continue to protect the health of the community and the environment.”
Beginning in early April, contractors for Northrop Grumman discovered a first layer of concrete-encased drums under the park’s former ballfields while drilling a well to check an existing soil sampling system at the park.
Initial tests showed the first six drums contained waste petroleum and chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene (TCE), a known carcinogen.
Test results on the contents of the other 10 drums haven't been released. Last week, state and town officials said equipment issues at the facility that tests drum contents and soil samples had been delaying lab results.
Grumman donated land for the park to the town in 1962 and contamination was found in the soil in 2002. The town sued the company last year over the pace and thoroughness of the cleanup.
Joseph Ostapiuk covers the Town of Oyster Bay and the City of Glen Cove. He joined Newsday in 2023 after spending more than six years at the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com.
