Yorktown Complying with DEC Cleanup Notice for Mohegan Site
The Town of Yorktown is correcting violations cited by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on the former Holland Sporting Club property in MoheganLake.
The DEC issued a notice of violation on March 13 after visiting the property in November and conducting tests to determine what material had been buried during the demolition last summer of 14 buildings by the Yorktown Highway Department.
While no contaminated or hazardous material was identified, David Pollock, Region 3 enforcement engineer for the DEC’s Solid Waste Compliance Unit, stated in the violation notice addressed to Highway Superintendent Eric DiBartolo “the town was found in violation…for the disposal and burial of solid waste including construction and demolition debris at the above site without a permit.” The town was also cited for disposing of demolished building materials at an unauthorized facility.
Wendy Rosenbach, a DEC spokesperson, stated “the town has been very cooperative to date,” adding the DEC will inspect the site again before any backfilling of the excavated areas is done.
Yorktown technically has 90 days to comply with the violation notice and could be fined as much as $7,500 the first day and $1,500 every day thereafter. However, DiBartolo said at last week’s Town Board meeting “the site is clean” and the DEC has been notified.
“Yes, there was some debris there and I was disappointed by some of the debris that was there,” he said. “The Highway Department will do whatever they have to do.”
DiBartolo also accused Councilman Vishnu Patel of grandstanding and “trying to run the Highway Department into the ground.” He maintained Patel “got in the way” of highway workers cleaning up the site when he visited, forcing them to shut down for the day for safety reasons.
Patel, who has been regularly in contact with the DEC about the activities at the site, claimed Supervisor Michael Grace withheld the violation notice from the Town Board.
“Why didn’t you tell this Town Board? You are not telling the truth,” Patel remarked, referring to previous remarks by Grace that he was not aware of the violation. “Why are you worried if you have nothing to hide? If there is nothing wrong, why do you have to clean it up? It is my responsibility that every taxpayer be protected.”
“Everybody is telling the truth,” Grace remarked.
DiBartolo said the violation notice was sent to him by registered mail. He said he hand delivered it to Grace’s office last Tuesday.
“Stop your games,” DiBartolo told Patel. “November can’t come soon enough.”
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