May 3, 2007 - Commissioner Ash Contacts Senator Flanagan Regarding The Future Of State Park

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May 3,20o7

The Honorable John Flanagan

New York Starc Senate Room 817 LOB

Albany,

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Diar Senator Flanagan: In rasponse ro your April loth lettcr, the following provid€s an steps the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Prcsenration

ovcnricw of due diligcnce (OPRHP) is currently undcrtalihg regarding the former Kings Park Psychiarric Center property. Our main focug, since 368 acres of the Kings Park property was transferrcd to OPRHP on Decernber 29, 2006, has been securing and reviewihg inforrration regarding the scopc and nature of environmental contamination issues on the Kingg Park propeny. This inforrnation is criticd to enabling the agency to dctermine conslraints and issues posed by environmcntal conccms on current and potential futurc public park uses, as well as ro advance our undcntrnding of the costs associared with rcmediating health and safety issues srcmrning from the many abandoned buildings and soil and groundwater contasdn&tion on the site. Revicw activiries currently underway include:

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Records

Review. We are compiling

and reviewing a number of existlng studies

and reports that have evaluated environmental contaminadon and redevelopmcnt issues at Kings Park. Examples includc:

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"Hydrogeologic Investigation of the Kings Park Psychiatnc Center Ash Fill, Kings Park, New York," prcpared by Geraghty & Miller,Inq., January 1988, "Phase

I Environmental Site Assessment for Kings Park Psychiatric Cencr,"

prepared by Professional Service Indusuies, fnc., Ocrober 31, 1996.

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"Locd Watarfront Revj6;i22gon Program: koposed Revisions," prcpared for the Town of Srnithtown by Saccardi & Schiff, Inc-, March,200l

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"Kings Park Psychiatric Center Site Redevelopment Study," prepared for the Town of Srnithtown, New York by Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. June, 2OOZ.

Empir'e Srare Plara . Agcncy Burldirrg

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"l.fySDEC Brownfreld Cleanup Program (BCP) Application," submitted by Thc Arker Companies, February 10, 2005. " Prelimrnary Phasc II Environmental Sitc Assessment, Former Kings Park Psphiatric Center Siic," prepared by Roux Associarcs, Inc., February I I, 200s.

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Official corrcspondence received by this office on this issue.

OPRI{P has receiyed anecdotal information indicating that additional environmental contamination studies may havc been undertaken by othcr public and private entities associarcd wrth Kings Park overthe past drc,ade. We are still in the process of compiling all relevant docurnents. To this cnd, if you are aware of othir studies orr r-eporrs, it would be helpful for you to provide thcm to the aggncy-

Comrnunify Outeach. Over the course df the last month I have met with commuruty and local govelnslenr ofFrcials, to makc sure thar I have a full

undentandingofthehistoryrheKingsParkp'ropertyandlocalconcernsandideas abour its futgre use- I plan ro continue meeting with local parties in thc coming weeks-

Engineering Contracts. OPRHP has'advanced two initral engineering contracts aI rciigs parkl'On 419\07,OPRHP confficted with LiRO Engiifeering Inc. to ,omplet" an enginecring rcview of the costs associated with asbestos and lcad r.rnJdi"tion for rwenty-six buildings within Nissequogue River Srate Park- This initial,phasc of investigation focuses on small and medium-sized slncturcs located in thc north-eastern area of the propeny. The study will providc detailed stucrurc-by-Stilcnrrc remediatiOn estimates for removing asbes tos and remediatrng lead in each of the twenry-six buildings. OPRHP is initiating a second engineering contract that will provide cost estimates for demolition of the same twenty-six buildings. The rcason for scparatc srudies is that rcmoval of these t1rpes of contaminated buildings is typically a two-stage Process - asbestos and lead remediation is complcted by a spccidized confractor, after which the buildlng is demolished and pslsved from the site. The cost of completing the rwo reports is $150,000. We expect to receive both cngineering consultant rePons in Jr.rly- I will share these repons wirh you when completed. In addition, we have asked the consultant to take a prelirunary look at engineering options and associated cos6 at addressing the asbestos contamination issues poscd by rhe underground steam hrnnels and pipes associated with this first phasc of rcmediation. The information provided in thts first set of reports will also provide valuable information ro guide decisions regarding the components and details of future engrneering studtes and cost estimates for additional phases of environmental remedialion at Kings Park.

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determined whether all twenty-six burldrngs will in facr be demolishcd - or whether somc or all of the buildings will be cosl rctained for somc adaptive reuse. Ar this point we are simply secunng estimates for asbestoJand lead remediation (which will need to be undcrtaken rcgardless of whether buildings are retained ordcmolished), as well as demolition cost estimatcs for those buildings that ultimately are removed. Please nore that OPRHP has not yet

complexity of environncntd contarnination and remediation issues at tlus across site are,much larger nan Opruf has ever cncounteted ar any Srate Park facility 'M 2.85 approrimately constituting buildings major the Stare. The propcrty includes million square ic"i. Virtually all of the buildings have asbesGos and lcad conumination issues. Thc property also includes an esrimated five rniles of underground steam runnels contaminatcO *ittt isbestos. In addition, the 2005 Phase tr heliminary Environmental Site Asscssment docusrented numerous findings of soil contamination, brxied constmction and dcmolition material, contarninatcd sewer lines, surfacc dumping sites, The assessment fly ash disposal,.and underground tanf peuoleum storagc tank issues. Soil Recosrmendcd I,TYSDEC's jdentified i diff"r*nt chemiials and 13 metals exceeding constituents of thcse Cleanup Objecdves and itrnbierrr Water Quality Criteria, with many rhe idmtified at multiple sites on PropertyThe scalc and

that, as I have said on multiple occasions, I am comsuned tO undertalcing OPRIF's due diligence review of thc forrner Kings Park Psphiauic Center in a rimelyhanner. But given the cornplexiry and sheer scale of contamination issucs, this revicw will take rimc. Ttre acfions we havc been able to takc to date rcpresent only rhc first prelirninary stcps in whar will be a very technical and expensive rcmediation acrion pl"tr. pl""*e don;r hesitate to connct me if you have additional questions or suggolonr thar I should consider in the course of agency's due diligence. I would *"J"o-u the opporruruty to meet with you in pcrson to continue our dialogue on the needs and future of Kings Park. P[ease bc assured

Sincerely,

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Carol Ash Comrnissioner

cc:

Majoriry l,cader Senator Joseph Bruno The Honorable Senator Owen Johnson Fatrick Foye, Commissioner, ESDC Jeffrey Lovell, Senate Majority Finance Commrttee Richard Mereday, Senate Majonty Finance Committee Michael Avella, Senate Majonty Program & Counsel Darren Suarez, Senator Majonty Program & Counsel

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