There Are Too Many Unanswered Questions That the PV Fire Dept. is Evading
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Patty Villanova
Many thanks to The Examiner for being the only local media to cover the ongoing story that has turned out to be the biggest scandal in the history of Putnam Valley – at least in my lifetime.
However, Ms. Luby’s article in the Dec. 17-23 Putnam Examiner (“PV Fire Dept. Awarded $300K Settlement in Contractor Fill Dumping”) raises more questions than answers.
It is long past time for Supervisor Annabi and the Town Board to stop pretending that the fire department is not their responsibility or within their purview as our representatives and guardians of the public purse.
Contrary to Chairman Johnson’s gaslighting, this settlement was not a victory; in fact, it was a loss for the taxpayers who have been funding this fiasco since it began. Johnson says “We’re extremely happy that a settlement was reached without going to court,” cannot be true. The fact is that the department has been in litigation for years and the $300,000 they got barely covered the $275,000 in legal expenses, by their own admission.
Maybe Mr. Johnson forgot that the cost of site remediation was more than $2 million, so the $25,000 they got isn’t even a drop in the bucket. How do they reconcile this ridiculously small settlement with all the money paid to clean up the site? Are there any plans to reimburse the town’s taxpayers?
Let’s look at the facts and questions that remain unanswered.
- Since day one, the department has claimed that they have no idea who gave John Adorno permission to dump the contaminated fill on its property, yet they have never given us a plausible explanation for how it happened. According to Johnson, the department’s position throughout the legal proceedings was that the illegal dumping was carried out without the approval of anyone in authority at the department.
Such a claim is ludicrous when you consider the amount of debris/fill that was dumped – some 17,000 cubic yards – and the potential cost to get rid of it. At the time, the rate was $45 per yard, so it could have been north of $700,000. Furthermore, there were hundreds of truckloads that were delivered over a period of time, yet nobody knew what was going on, right? Please don’t insult my intelligence.
- Why was Mr. Adorno, the primary defendant, allowed to make a profit on the deal? Based on the numbers, Adorno would have had to pay a small fortune to unload the contaminated materials, yet all he’s going to end up paying the department is a paltry $120,000. Do the math. Is this a victory or another taxpayer rip-off? Also, since they found out that his insurance wouldn’t cover settlement costs, why didn’t the fire department go after Adorno’s other assets if they were serious about getting justice?
- Although town and state environmental laws were violated, there were no charges filed. Why didn’t the town code enforcement officer go after the fire department or other perpetrators, especially when he was notified by the previous town attorney, Mr. Lusardi, that the department had allowed the contaminated fill to be dumped in an Aquifer Protection Zone.
In a letter to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Lusardi cites “a fairly serious question with respect to the fill material being located in a Surface Water Protection District which limits the activities which may be conducted on the property.” (Town Zoning Code Sect. 165-26)
Meanwhile, the town was vigorously prosecuting another resident who was accused of dumping on his Cimmaron Road property, litigation which has been ongoing for decades even though that debris was never claimed to contain the type of chemicals and toxins found at the fire department site.
On a personal note, I can’t believe that we will soon be entering a new year with this issue unresolved. As a senior taxpayer struggling to be able to stay in my home, I am outraged by money that the out-of-control fire department has been allowed to spend, no questions asked, and seemingly with no limitations.
We have been betrayed by generations of elected politicians who were more concerned with getting votes than accountability for the needs of the residents. Look no further than our current board that includes Mr. Luongo, whose loyalties appear split between the town and the fire department.
In any event, thanks to social media and The Examiner, the townspeople are waking up to what’s going on. There will be elections this year and maybe we will see some positive change.
Happy New Year to all.
Patty Villanova is a longtime Putnam Valley resident.
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