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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

09/07/11 QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ANSWERED IN GREENWICH: What Is Steve Anderson And His BOE Buddies Hiding From Us? Where The Hell Is The Greenwich Time?

Dear Leslie,

Thank you for your kind offer to ask my questions for me.

I will not be able to attend the open house because of restrictions that have been placed on me by the town of Greenwich. I have three court orders in which the town stipulated I could gather data on the high school grounds, but that wasn't enough. I was arrested for asking to see a building permit. I won't be fooled again.

I would like to see the restraining order, or arrest warrant, or any other legal basis for preventing me from attending public meetings at the high school.

If I could attend this meeting there are many other documents I would like to see and questions I would like answered. Maybe you will be more successful than I. At the very least, you probably won't get arrested.
  • I would like to see the PCB remediation survey prepared by a registered Connecticut land surveyor having meets and bounds, dimensions of all buildings, parking and drives, setbacks of all structures from property lines, setbacks between buildings, and certification that building dimensions shown thereon are the same as the approved architectural plans with architectural and drainage plans referenced by title dates and sheet numbers.
  • I would like to see the Environmental Impact Statement prepared by The Town of Greenwich for the MISA Project.
  • Is a new Environmental Impact Statement required for PCB remediation? If not, why not?
  • I would like to see the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan prepared by the town of Greenwich for the MISA Project.
  • Is a new Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan required for PCB remediation? If not, why not?
  • I would like to see all Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 (Dredge and Fill) permits obtained for 10 Hillside Rd (Greenwich High School).
  • Is a new dredge and fill permit required for PCB remediation? If not, why not?
  • I would like to see the Notice of Intent to remediate PCBs discovered at the high school sent to abutting property owners as evidenced by submission of a certificate of mailing or certified or registered mail receipts pursuant to the Clean Water Act.
  • I would like to see the schedule of notified property owners as shown on the survey approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission pursuant to Town of Greenwich Municipal Regulations.
  • I would like to see the MISA scoping notice posted to The State of Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality indicating the scope of the MISA Project pursuant to the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act.
  • Is the MISA scoping notice posted to The State of Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality required for state aid? If not why not?
  • I would like to see the MISA Preliminary Site Plan filed by the Board of Education with the with the Town of Greenwich Conservation Commission for review and approval prior to the submission of the site plan to any other Town of Greenwich agency pursuant to Greenwich municipal regulations.
  • Is a preliminary site plan required for PCB remediation? If not, why not?
  • I would like to see the MISA notification affidavit certifying abutting property owners were notified two weeks prior to the scheduled hearing date of the Conservation Commission MISA preliminary site plan review pursuant to municipal regulations.
  • Is a Conservation Commission preliminary site plan review required for PCB remediation? If not, why not?
  • I would like to see the MISA narrative submitted to the Conservation Commission.
  • I would like to see the PCB remediation narrative submitted to the Conservation Commission.
  • I would like to see the MISA National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) section 402 permit application for the MISA Project.
  • Is a new NPDES permit required for PCB remediation? If not, why not?
  • Does PCB remediation require Municipal Improvement status? If not, why not?
  • I would like to see all permits issued by the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency, along with agenda notification, all staff memos, the minutes, and all voting records for the MISA Project including the PCB remediation.
  • The School's environmental consultants have submitted documents finding PCB contamination levels of greater than 50 and 100 ppm on the edge of the playing fields. Have tests been scheduled for the playing fields themselves? If not, why not? Skin contact, after all, is one of the known ways PCBs enter the body. Tests virtually surrounding the fields have already found levels of PCBs.
  • There has been written speculation that the source of the PCB contamination is the 10 to 15 feet of vertical fill material used to fill in the wetlands which now is the site of the artificial turf playing fields. When will that fill, at depth, be tested to determine if PCBs and excessive levels of other man-made contaminants were in fact dumped in "the swamp" in order to create the playing fields? What must be done if such contamination is found?
  • Especially given the recent hurricane and severe rain we are experiencing, have any of the experts on this panel reviewed the Town's storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) for the high school construction and remediation? Is it adequate to prevent further pollution? If you have not seen it, why not? Why has it not been available in any public file?
  • Has the water draining through the tons of artificial shredded-tire petroleum landfill placed on the fields been tested? It drains directly onto neighboring property and then into Long Island Sound. Studies done for the State of Connecticut indicate that these shredded rubber tires, especially when heated by the sun, leach numerous different chemicals into the storm water. Is any testing being done to determine if the water being drained by the school through point-source discharges into Brothers Brook is safe, not just regarding PCBs, but other contaminants as well, and consistent with environmental law?
  • The Town and BoE have publicly stated that they have gotten all the required licenses and permits for the MISA and remediation construction now under way, yet many of those certified notices, licenses and permits do not appear to be in the public files, as required. Why not? Have any of the experts on this panel actually seen them? Have they been told they exist?
  • Banks and mortgage companies require that applicants divulge whether there are any outstanding environmental issues regarding the property being mortgaged. Do all adjacent and downstream property owners now have to make such a statement, and if so, is the Town going to assume financial responsibility for any monetary damages incurred by abutting and downstream property owners? How much do you think that will cost the town?
  • Given that PCB contamination has been found in soil surrounding, and probably under the playing fields, and we have yet to learn what other man-made contaminants may also be present, does the BoE or the Town have any estimate of what the ultimate cost of remediation will be? If not, and without any budget for those costs, how can any present construction plans go forward?

Leslie, please treat this as a formal Freedom of Information Act request. You have advised that The Board Of Education will tape this meeting, and that you will ensure that all of my questions will be answered. Please send me the tape Thursday morning. If any of the documents I have requested do not exist, a simple statement to that effect, on the tape, is sufficient. Please send me via e-mail full resolution PDF copies of all requested documents that do exist.

I'm sorry to have to put you through this, but the town has left me no choice.

Bill


Hello All,
In case you were unaware, attached is a flyer announcing a forum to be held at GHS on Wednesday to provide information to the public on the status of the site and programs. There will be representatives from the state department of public health, department of energy and environmental protection, Federal EPA, building committee, and GHS athletics among others.
If you cannot attend but have specific questions that you would like answered, please e-mail with them, and I will get the answers for you.
Best,
Leslie
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