Brownfield Application 5 Years Overdue

In the latest daily press release by Mr Feiner, he states that his Town Board has, "authorized the submission of an application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to clean up contamination found at Frank's Nursery on Dobbs Ferry Road." What does this mean to the overburdened Greenburgh taxpayer, the auctioneer of the property, the Town, and whomever the purchaser winds up being? Quite a bit actually.

Mr Feiner also claims, "We are also  making good progress regarding our efforts to sell Frank's nursery to an assisted living facility (the property is currently zoned for that purpose) but all the details have not been finalized as of yet." That's because NO details have been finalized. As Mr Feiner continually used the former Frank's Nursery property as a political football and media bonanza, it appears that he never had any intention of selling the property to anyone. By not selling the property, it allowed him unfettered access to the media for self-bloviation as well as self-publicity. The irony is that he needs to do neither, what with his own website, the Town website, the Town's energy website and the Daily Voice's website. Ever the political huckster, he remains fervent in his self-promotion without actually accomplishing anything (other than said self-promotion).

The gist of the Brownfield Application is italicized below:

Brownfield Cleanup Program Public Notice

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has received a Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) application from the Town of Greenburgh for a site known as Frank’s Nursery, site ID #C360151. This site is located in the Town of Greenburgh, within the County of Westchester, and is located at 715 Dobbs Ferry Road.

Comments regarding this application must be submitted no later than September 25, 2015. The application can be reviewed at: Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elmsford, NY 10523; 914-721-8200.

Information regarding the site, the application, and how to submit comments can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/60058.html or send comments to the Project Manager, James Candiloro, NYSDEC, Division of Environmental Remediation–Bureau C, 625 Broadway-11th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-7014; james.candiloro@dec.ny.gov; or call 518-402-9662.

The difficulty with this application is that it is just that, an application only. It does not ensure the Town will receive any monies to apply toward remediation of the former Frank's Nursery site. Nor does it mean there might even be some relief for the beleaguered Greenburgh taxpayer. If any money is acquired, and is applied toward remediation of the site, only that amount will benefit the taxpayer. All other costs will be assumed by the Unincorporated taxpayers!

What Mr Feiner has not said, which typifies his email publicity campaigns, is that he and the Town should have applied for the Brownfield grants when they originally acquired the property through foreclosure in February 2011. At that time, there were many more residents and more importantly, Town employees who knew about the arrangement with the D'Agostino property being used as an urban renewal demolition dump by the City of White Plains! What he didn't say, is that the Town could be approaching the City of White Plains for aid with the property's cleanup. What he didn't say was what will happen if the application is denied.

At one point several years ago, Mr Feiner attempted to initiate an illegal lease with GameOn 365 for the property for 15 years. You'll recall that GameOn 365 are the friends of Mr Feiner that he bent over backwards trying to gift the property to at an undervalued price. Fortunately, many in the Town objected and the deal was killed only after Mr Feiner was threatened with legal action. Municipalities cannot be landlords nor can they lease property acquired through foreclosure. They are required by New York State and Westchester County law to sell any and all such property. You all know that Mr Feiner routinely ignores any law he doesn't like, knowing that no one will go after him.

In the end, ABG hopes the Town gets the long overdue Brownfield funding. Even the Town's auctioneer informed the Town that no one would bid on the property because of its contamination and the costs associated with cleanup. Sadly, Mr Feiner thumbed his nose at a $3.5 million dollar cash and all remediation/cleanup expenses offer because it would have taken the property from his friends at GameOn 365. We continue to wonder why he would do this? It was also about the same time he and his Town Board began parroting the phrase "doing their due diligence". Later, it was "faith in the process" and then they included "fiduciary responsibility" among others. And whenever possible, they utilized the expressions as conjunctives, trying to get more bang for their buck. What they really wound up exposing according to many is their lack of transparency and collusion with a would-be developer.

It's time for this administration to do the right thing - sort of a foreign concept in this Town. We have a lot of great employees in the Town of Greenburgh. Yet, it seems not from the elective process. Knowing how to scam the voters this well has taken over 22-years worth of effort. Alas, it has paid off, making Mr Feiner a millionaire and then some, through his salary alone. It's time for the electorate to pay attention and stop these shenanigans. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.