Con Edison Update - 12/17/07 Meeting

Following up on their presentation to MCSM and Isaac Newton parents at October’s PTA meeting, representatives of Con Edison, the DOE, and NY State Department of Health returned to MCSM on December 17th for further discussion of the issue of toxic contaminants (specifically, coal tar from a former coal gasification plant) buried under the school building and grounds) and Con Edison’s remediation plans. MCSM was represented by Principal David Jimenez, Assistant Principal Devorah Zamansky, and 10th grade parents Deirdre Rose, Don Redish, and Steve Koss. Also in attendance were David Palmer of NY Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), Simeon Banister from NYC Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum’s office, and Yvonne Przybyla from State Senator Serrano’s office.

The main purpose of this meeting was to discuss next steps following upon the October PTA meeting, with particular focus on environmental safety testing. Everyone at the meeting agreed that indoor air quality and soil gas testing during the heating season is essential for monitoring environmental safety at the MCSM site. Con Edison has committed to conducting indoor air and soil gas tests, working with the NYCDOE and NYSDOH, during the mid-winter school recess in February and again during the summer break and the following winter (heating) seasons. Results of these tests will be made available to the MCSM school and parent community in written and electronic form.

Because Con Edison cannot enter a NYC public school without a signed access agreement letter from the DOE, Bernie Orlan from the DOE’s Division of School Facilities committed to conducting similar air quality tests during the winter holiday break (December 22 – January 1). Results from these tests will give MCSM parents earlier feedback on the winter season air quality in the building and provide an early alert in the event of negative readings.

Con Edison offered at the December 17th session to meet with parents, teachers, and other members of the community upon request, as reasonably needed, to assist them in understanding the site remediation plans, processes, and results. However, in response to a request from NYLPI for funding to enable the community to engage an independent consultant to review the testing data and remediation plans, Con Edison indicated that it is not their corporate policy to provide such funding.