http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/21529.htm
ENVIRO BOSS SLAMS BX. HS OF SCIENCE FOR 'TUNNEL' VISION
By CARL CAMPANILE
March 22, 2004 -- EXCLUSIVE
City environmental chief Chris Ward flunked the Bronx HS of Science -
accusing the borough's flag****p school of making false claims in its
letter-writing campaign to oppose construction of a $1.5 billion water-
filtration plant under the nearby Mosholu Golf Course.
Students said teachers and other staff at the Bronx HS of Science
distributed a form letter in their cl***** expressing opposition to the
project, claiming it would be an environmental disaster for the school
and the surrounding northwest Bronx.
Students admitted there was little or no emphasis on the possible
health benefits of the project: preserving the water supply for 8
million New Yorkers and $200 million in park spruce-ups.
In copies of letters obtained by The Post, one student charged that
school staffers pressured kids to oppose the filtration plant.
"They made us write these. It seems illegal, like the school forcing
politics on us. Please investigate," the student said in the letter to
the Department of Environmental Protection.
Other students said they were asked if they wanted to sign the letter -
but not ordered to do so.
The letter charges: "The blasting that needs to be done, to produce an
eighty foot deep elevator shaft and truck tunnel will undoubtedly
compromise the stability of building foundations and infrastructures.
"In addition, diesel trucks will be used to carry chemicals and
equipment via this underground tunnel. Their exhaust fumes will also
create an environmental hazard and potential respiratory ailments." The
letter also talks about "high-decibel noise" disrupting cl*****.
Ward, the DEP commissioner, said some statements were false. The
project, he said, won't compromise the foundations of buildings.
And he said the plan, if it moves forward, would construct an
underground water tunnel - not a tunnel for truck traffic.
"It's deeply unfortunate that such misinformation was given to these
students," Ward said. "You would think a school of science would be far
more attentive to the actual facts."
|
