Public Comments Sought For Clean-Up Site in Dutchess County

As I was reading the latest from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, I must admit that it wasn't an easy read. The headline mentioned the Brownfield Clean-up Program, Remedial Work Plan, and the Decision Document. As it turns out, it's about property in Poughkeepsie used for commercial and residential purposes as early as 1887 until the mid-eighties when the buildings at the site were demolished, and the soil is contaminated.

If you were to travel to the Queen City Lofts in Poughkeepsie, at 172-182 Main Street and 11 South Bridge Street, you would see grass-covered and wooded ares, plus a few vacant buildings. This is the site in question. While the NYSDEC investigation, in conjunction with the New York Department of Health, has concluded that this doesn't pose a serious threat, it still needs to be addressed.

The recommendation is to remove over 8,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, which includes historic fill and petroleum contaminated soil across an area 9,000 square feet to a depth of about 5 feet. After this work, a site cover will be installed to protect against any future contact with the contaminated soil. There may be some other operations performed, but that depends on what the public thinks.

Comments are welcome about this proposed clean-up and will be accepted until March 10. If you wish to see all of the documents for this project, you can view them at the Poughkeepsie Public Library on Market Street.