One man’s trash could become another man’s treasure, as village of Mamaroneck officials move to repurpose a former leaf composting site into a public park space.
According to Village Manager Richard Slingerland, though the property has already been fully remediated from its former use as a leaf composting site, there are limits to what the village can do.
Because of its classification as a hazardous site by the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC, the village is prohibited from building any structures on the central part of the 7-acre property due to concerns about a “capped” area that may still contain toxic waste.
Slingerland said the site—which was always village-owned—was the subject of a large-scale remediation about 30 years ago after hazardous chemicals were illegally dumped onto the grounds that were intended for leaf composting.
The cost, he estimates, was around $4 million, 75 percent of which was paid for by the state.
The concern, according to Slingerland, is that any large structure created there may puncture a capped area—which was sealed off following the site’s remediation—and create an environmental hazard.
Now, the village Board of Trustees, in tandem with the Recreation Department, Planning Board and Committee for the Environment, will mull over a number of different uses for the site.
Among them, according to a recent memo from the village manager, are a dog park, public trails and pathways, ball fields and various other recreational uses.
Before the village can begin repurposing the site, however, it must be approved for use by the DEC’s brownfields division, a segment that regulates the transformation of sites that contain hazardous materials.
According to Slingerland, the village is currently assessing proposals from three engineering firms to assess the site and verify whether or not it’s fit for public use.
Slingerland said he hopes that the process of approving a firm and assessing the site will begin before the end of the month.
