Letters

Thank you for bringing to our attention the reclamation plan for the former Westhampton Sand Mine located in the Pine Barrens Core [“Details Emerge on Reclamation Plan at Former Westhampton Sand Mine,” 27east.com, August 22].

This project raises concerns about the noise and dust pollution that will be generated from this facility. Representatives from IGC Sitework claim that the residents are used to noise and traffic generated from this site. This is a total misrepresentation of the current situation. Not only has the mine has been shut down for years, the number of trucks entering and exiting the facility is only a fraction of the number of trucks that IGC is proposing.

Additionally, the trucks currently entering and exiting the road are primarily gardening trucks, not the tractor-trailers that will be needed to transport the industrial and commercial debris that IGC will be carting.

In the information meeting at Town Hall, IGC representatives did not address many of the factors that would impact the residents and wildlife in the area.

What is the plan for staging the trucks as the arrive to the facility? Is there a holding area? Will these trucks be idling on Old Country Road, as they wait to enter the facility? Will they interfere with the traffic near the railroad tracks? How will this interfere with the residents as they try to enter and leave their properties? How could traveling along Old Country Road be affected if trucks line up along the road near the railroad tracks? How will this traffic congestion interfere with emergency vehicles in case of an emergency?

What are the environmental concerns for pulverized powder coating the adjacent foliage? What are the health concerns for residents and wildlife inhaling the pulverized powder from the facility? Who will be responsible for monitoring noise levels at the site?

IGC claims that they will work with the State Department of Environmental Conservation to monitor and address the noise, dust and water pollution generated from this facility; given the grand scale of the operation, this seems highly unlikely. Representatives of IGC stated that they will clean up any contaminants left by the previous owner. These contaminants were dumped by the previous owners under the “watchful eye” of the DEC. It is no secret that the site was mismanaged under the previous owner. This mismanagement occurred while operations at the site were being monitored by the DEC.

Most importantly, the road that these trucks will be entering and exiting, North Summit Boulevard onto Old Country Road, is located in the Pine Barrens Core. If this project is allowed to proceed, this could set a precedent for other commercial use of Pine Barrens land.

Lisette Geraci

Oakland Gardens, Queens