By Courtney Dentch
A Springfield Gardens waste transfer company is pushing for 24-hour operation despite strong opposition from the residential community where it is located.
Cross-County Recycling Inc., at 122-52 Montauk St., has applied for a state permit to change its hours from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, to 24 hours a day, said Bruce Caputo, a lawyer for the company.
But area residents say the transfer station, which handles about 80 tons of garbage a day, has not been a good neighbor, often operating when it is supposed to be closed, allowing trucks to block access to Montauk Street and houses, and even threatening homeowners, said community activist Gertrude Gonesh at a meeting to discuss the proposed change in hours last Thursday.
“I dare them to open that place 24 hours,” said Gonesh, president of the Nellis Street, Nashville Boulevard and Montauk Street Civic Association. “They threaten us in our community, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay in my house and enjoy it.”
John Persichilli, owner of Cross County, declined to comment on the allegations residents brought up at the meeting in the neighborhood.
Cross County, which has been in the neighborhood for about 25 years, handles putrescible waste, which includes household and other solid waste, Caputo said. The plant has city approval to operate 24 hours a day, but it needs an OK from the state Department of Environmental Conservation as well, he said.
The company has been cited a number of times for violating operating regulations, including keeping doors open while unloading trucks, not clearing the work floor by the end of the day and other problems, accruing $165,000 in fines, Gonesh said. The company also lost its operating permit last year, but was able to reopen under further restrictions, Caputo said.
“We had a number of violations. I don't think we're violating the law now,” Caputo said to the disbelieving gasps of residents.
Homeowners also told stories of the 18-wheeled trucks used to transport the garbage, saying they trample flower beds, block driveways, and tear down cable wires, said Terrell Webb, a Springfield Gardens resident.
“The trucks stop people from using the sidewalks,” Webb said. “The trucks are loading and unloading on the sidewalks. We would like to enjoy our homes. After all, we paid for them.”
Others worry the proximity to the waste transfer site is causing health problems, including asthma.
“You don't have to smell it every day,” one woman said, addressing the company representatives. “Your kids don't come home from school with asthma because of the garbage.”
City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) and Assemblyman William Scarborough (D-St. Albans) were on hand to pledge their support to stop the facility from gaining 24-hour operation.
“They've been operating illegally since the 1970s,” Comrie said. “It's a shame they haven't given the community a break and moved.”
Scarborough urged the community to document violations and call the city and state Departments of Sanitation, practices that the residents are more than familiar with, they said.
“We need to band together as a community, because it is clear this community is being dumped on,” Scarborough said.
Despite the overwhelming opposition, however, Cross County plans to pursue the permit, Caputo said.
“We plan to pursue our rights as a business.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
