State to hold public forum on remediation plan for illegal dumping in Brentwood park

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will host a public forum next week to hear the public's concerns and to explain a proposal for remediating the estimated 50,000 tons of toxin-tainted debris illegally dumped in Brentwood's Roberto Clemente Park.

Community members, local advocacy groups and elected officials have held a number of protests, vigils and forums since news broke of the illegal dumping scandal on April 22. At nearly the same time, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota subpoenaed records from the Town of Islip relating to a soccer field project at the 27.9-acre park. The Brentwood park, along with three other sites, remains the subject of a criminal investigation by the district attorney, who impaneled a special grand jury last month into illegal dumping.

Bill Fonda, a spokesman with the DEC, said the agency recognized the repeated efforts by community members to draw attention to the dumping and said their requests prompted the scheduling of a public meeting.

"We're giving the opportunity for the public to come to the meeting and express their concerns," Fonda said.

Nelsena Day, a Brentwood resident and community activist with Suffolk County's chapter of New York Communities for Change, has repeatedly asked officials for residents to have a seat at the table during cleanup discussions.

"I'm definitely in favor of supporting the public discourse and having the community put their words of what they want implemented into the remediation plan so that we can go forth and finish out the cleanup of Roberto Clemente," Day said. "It's a win-win for the communities that are involved in the Town of Islip. I'm really thanking God that it has come to fruition."

The DEC will make a presentation that will include scientific background on what the contamination is and details of the draft work plan proposal, which lays out the complete removal of illegally placed materials on the former soccer field and recharge basin, Fonda said. Residents will be permitted to ask questions of the DEC staff, as well as Enviroscience Consultants, Inc. -- a Ronkonkoma-based firm hired by the Town to help with remediation -- the state Department of Labor, and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services at the 7 p.m. meeting on Oct. 9. It will be held at the Health Sports Education Complex Lecture Hall at the M.J. Grant Campus of Suffolk Community College in Brentwood.

The 250-page draft remediation plan, submitted to the DEC by the town early last month, is still under review and subject to state DEC review, comments and approval. Last week, three groundwater testing wells were installed at the park. Groundwater test sample results are expected to be complete by mid-October, officials have said.

Written comments to be considered can be submitted until Oct. 17 by email, with Roberto Clemente Park in the subject line, to r1info@dec.ny.gov or by mail to Ajay Shah, P.E., NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, 50 Circle Rd., Stony Brook, NY 11790.

The draft material workplan can be found at townofislip-ny.gov, at the Brentwood Public Library (34 2nd Ave., Brentwood) and at the state DEC office in Stony Brook and the town clerk's office in Islip.

With Sarah Crichton