8 Companies Paid $627K For Illegal Dumping At Brentwood Park: AG

BRENTWOOD, NY — New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday that eight companies involved in the illegal dumping of contaminated construction waste in Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood paid $627,000 as part of a settlement.

These agreements — which will be sent to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York for final approval — are the first resolutions reached in a federal lawsuit the office of the attorney general brought in 2017 against 33 construction contractors, waste brokers, and waste haulers that illegally dumped waste in the park for years, the AG said.

The money will be used to improve the facilities in Brentwood, including Roberto Clemente Park.

"The threats of environmental injustice are real and have unfairly plagued communities like Brentwood for too long," James said. "For over three years, Roberto Clemente Park was used as an illegal dumping ground, robbing residents of a centerpiece of this community and putting our children in harm’s way. Today, we begin to give back what’s long been due, and hold accountable those responsible for polluting this park with dangerous chemicals."

Between August 2013 and April 2014, tens of thousands of tons of soil and construction and demolition debris from construction sites in the New York City area were illegally dumped in the local park, owned by the Town of Islip. The town closed the park in May 2014 when environmental testing revealed the presence of asbestos, and, later, a wide array of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and pesticides, in areas of the park where the dumping occurred.

The park remained closed until July 2017, as cleanup contractors removed a total of 39,000 tons of hazardous construction waste.

In May 2017, the attorney general sued the companies and individuals related to the dumping including contractors that arranged for the disposal of soil and debris contaminated with hazardous substances from the NYC construction sites, companies that brokered the removal and disposal of the contaminated waste, and the haulers that transported waste to Roberto Clemente Park and dumped it there.

According to the attorney general, the following companies were involved in the lawsuit

• Atria Builders, LLC (construction contractor) paid $90,000
• Monaco Construction Corp., Alef Construction Inc., and 158 Franklin Ave. LLC (construction contractors) collectively paid $58,439
• Triton Construction Company, LLC (construction contractor) paid $108,505
• IEV Trucking Corp. (waste broker) paid $175,000
• Touchstone Homes LLC (construction contractor) paid $175,000
• COD Services Corp. (waste broker) paid $20,000

The legal actions against the 25 other companies and individuals named in the federal lawsuit remain ongoing. In 2016, the Town of Islip initiated a separate legal action against a number of companies and individuals involved in the dumping. The Town has reached agreements for $145,000 for the park’s cleanup with two of the same companies that the state has now settled with.

"This money will help improve and restore Roberto Clemente Park and help ensure Brentwood families have a safe green space to enjoy, building on the $2 million I secured for the park in the 2017-18 state budget," Assistant Speaker of the New York State Assembly Phil Ramos said. "I’ll continue working with my community partners and fellow elected leaders to ensure any person or business who illegally dumps contaminated waste is held accountable for their actions."