Re: [CPEO-BIF] 2340 (really 2350) Fifth Avenue, Harlem, New York

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

State Senator Wants Hearings on Toxic Rental

DEC says Harlem tenants treated fairly, but will change notification  
policy

By Chris Glorioso and Tom Burke
NBC TV-4 News (New York City)
July 10, 2012

A New York state senator is calling for hearings after an NBC 4 I- 
Team investigation revealed that tenants of a Harlem building were  
never told of the site’s toxic history before they signed rental  
agreements.

"It was a shocking thing," said State Sen. Bill Perkins of Harlem.  
"It was a disturbing thing."

Perkins said he wants to force the Department of Environmental  
Conservation to be more active in notifying renters about Superfund  
sites, even if landlords don't.
"I'm angry that they have to be forced," said Perkins. "I mean, come  
on, Department of Environmental Conservation. This should not have to  
be brought up in an investigation. This should be the number one  
concern."

...

For the entire follow-up story, see
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/I-Team-State-Senator-Wants- 
Hearings-on-Toxic-Rental-161956615.html

On Jul 10, 2012, at 12:26 AM, Lenny Siegel wrote:

> Harlem Building's Toxic History Not Revealed To Tenants
> Some tenants say they have been using the building for years,  
> spending eight and ten hours a day inside
>
> By Chris Glorioso and Tom Burke
> |NBC 4-TV News (New York)
> July 9, 2012
>
> Dozens of artists, entrepreneurs and non-profits are renting space  
> in a Harlem building with a toxic past, and they were never told  
> before signing rental agreements, NBC 4 New York's I-Team has learned.
>
> In fact, some tenants say they have been using the building for  
> years, spending eight and ten hours a day inside.
>
> Syn Martinez, who runs a fitness boot camp in the building, said he  
> would not have rented space there if he knew it was a Superfund site.
>
> Martinez is among dozens of small business owners and artists  
> renting space in the building. All said they were never told the  
> building contained potentially hazardous vapors or toxic material.
>
> The building at 2350 Fifth Ave. was listed by the state Department  
> of Environmental Conservation as a "Class 2 Superfund site" in 1998.
>
> ...
>
> For the entire story, see
> http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/I-Team-Harlem-Buildings- 
> Toxic-History-Not-Revealed-To-Tenants-161831725.html
>
> For background, see
> http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/2350Fifth.pdf and
> http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/2350FifthROD.pdf
>
> --
>
> Lenny Siegel
> Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
> a project of the Pacific Studies Center
> 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
> Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
> Fax: 650/961-8918
> <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
> http://www.cpeo.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Brownfields mailing list
> Brownfields@lists.cpeo.org
> http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/brownfields-cpeo.org

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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