IMPORTANT MEETING -- APRIL 16, 6:30 P.M.
Representatives from Con Edison, the NY State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation, and the NYC Department of Education will present preliminary findings from their February indoor air and soil sample testing and preview their plans for removal of the contaminants buried beneath the school building at the Isaac Newton Middle School PTA meeting on Wednesday, April 16, at 6:30 pm in the school library. All parents of MCSM students are invited to attend and have their questions answered.
As you know from previous reports, Mr. Bernard Orlan of the DOE conducted preliminary air quality tests on December 22. The purpose of these and Con Edison's February tests has been to assess the school building's indoor air quality during the heating season when windows are not open and the heating system creates negative pressure which draws air inward from outside or upward from beneath the ground. Mr. Orlan’s presented results of his December tests at our January PTA meeting. They showed no toxic chemicals in our school building’s air and no cause for health concern. Two independent environmental consultants have since reviewed the air sampling data at the request of NY Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), the legal services organization that is helping the PTA work with Con Edison on this issue. They reached the same conclusion – no apparent cause for concern at this time.
Con Edison's tests, performed while the students were on break from February 18-22, were more extensive and included soil samples drilled through the basement floor of the school building. While the final written report may not be ready by April 16, representatives from Con Edison and NYS Department of Health (DOH) and Environmental Conservation (DEC) will discuss the data and findings expected to be included in the report when it becomes available. In addition, Mr. William Ottaway from NYS DEC will present an overview of the process by which they and Con Edison have been evaluating site remediation alternatives (that is, removing the coal tars and any other toxic materials from beneath the ground).
Mr. Ottaway's discussion will essentially preview the more formal Site Remediation Plan that Con Edison will publish later this spring or summer. That document will be available to the public (including all MCSM and Isaac Newton parents), and its release will be followed by a period of public comment and at least one planned meeting at MCSM where Con Edison, DOH, and DEC will present the plan and address community questions and concerns. The dates for these events have not yet been established but are likely to take place in September or October 2008 when school resumes after the summer break.
Stay tuned to this site for more information and watch for announcements from the school and in the Parent Newsletter.
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