New York City is moving forward with plans to build a 450-seat elementary school near a Superfund site in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports that the planned site in the Greenpoint neighborhood is near the former NuHart Plastic Manufacturing site, a location that was classified in 2010 as a Class 2 Superfund site because of underground plumes of toxic chemicals.
The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) says it has considered the site as a potential spot for construction of a public school since 2010, but plans were halted to allow for remediation on the Superfund site, Greenpointers.com reports. Following the remediation, an SCA representative testified that “our professional opinion [is] that there is no possible exposure pathway for humans to come in contact with the remains of the plume.”
To address concerns about environmental safety, the SCA says it will voluntarily enroll the site in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) Voluntary Cleanup Program. This program includes additional layers of regulatory review from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and public engagement.
“The Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation has been engaged in the Greenpoint community for over 15 years, completing over 80 safe, high-quality cleanups,” OER Acting Director Shaminder Chawla said. “We’ve worked with the public in the community, as well as local elected officials and the Community Board, to ensure good stewardship during site remediation."
The planned school is expected to be a five-to six-story structure featuring a play yard, air conditioning, ADA accessibility, along with an all-electric design to enhance sustainability.
The existing schools in the neighborhood are among the oldest in the city, and are approaching full capacity, the SCA says; P.S. 34 was built in 1867, P.S. 110 was built in 1895, and P.S. 31 was built in 1900.
"Greenpoint has experienced significant and ongoing residential growth in the past two decades, and the need for additional school seats is evident," the SCA says.
