Toxic playgrounds

These fields are contaminated with carcinogens.  They are being maintained in violation of OSHA guidelines which call for no contact with with these toxins.  Where are the unions on this?  Where is OSHA?  Where is the Westchester County Department of Health. Where are the required warning signs?  Who is accountable?  

The board was told in 1997 not to enter into a fill for fields deal.  Why did they then do it in 2002?

When you live in a world of test and re-test, special help taking tests, teaching to the tests, taking tests several times and picking your best score, you might think that rushing results of a better test will solve the problem.  You might honestly believe that when you finally get a test result you like, you can exponge prior tests and forgive past board behavior that they knew endangered the children.  If you as a parent can somehow dimiss the first test that the school district hid for a year that showed levels of carcinogens higher than state standards and as high or higher than Eastchester   and let your children attend school and play on those fields, that will be your choice.  Perhaps it is more important that you child fits in than is safe at school. 

If on the otherhand you agree that the first tests are as valid as any future tests, that this illegal and toxic dump is the responibility of an unaccountable and and reckless board and administration, speak up.  Your silence is endangering your children. 

Did they actually say they made the children play on the contaminated fields because the DEC never got back to them?  Let's see, if someone doesn't tell you not to let children play on contaminated fields, you let them play on contaminated fields.  Does that make sense?  The DEC didn't make them not do it...?

And how about testing under the artificial turf? 

These are the only locked fields in the district.  Even the artificial turf, costing the taxpayers three hundred thousand is not locked.  They lied for over a year and told it was locked for drainage issues.  Drainage issues?  Just where are these carcinogens draining to?

Click this picture for the 20 most dangerous substances found at Superfund Clean up sites.  Including the aresenic in the pressure treated wood of project mis adventure, Valhalla Schools have seven of the twenty most dangerous substances.  Sure these are ubiquetous, but not at school properties. 

To replace this track, we will be asked to approve another bond.  At the same time we continue to pay on the 1991 maintenance bond and the $21 million Kensico School bond.

Our neighbors in the Mt Pleasant School district have a brand new track, legally obtained and funded.  Yet our school board accepts no responsibility for destroying the track, and for creating an illegal dump.  As Former Valhalla school board president Bill McGuinn said in the Journal News on September 16, 2005  "I find it hard to believe that we should be made accountable when we based our decisions on the recommendation of our legal counsel"

I find it hard to believe, he believes what he is said.

The school district refuses to test the soil under the artifical turf.  We know from documents FOILED from the district that there was excavation and refill before the turf was laid.  Now we know that for over a year they lied to us about the contamination on the baseball ziguratt.  Why don't they test? What a perfect place to hide the worst contamination and how like the board to sweep their problems under the carpet!

Now, while sitting on $440,000 in Westhelp surplus funds, earmarked for a Salaries, Cruises and lunch in the city, we will be asked to borrow a like amount to replace the track, they destroyed!

Unlike Eastchester and Greenburgh, Valhalla's illegal contaminated fill is on land that abuts the Kensico Reservoir watershed property.  What a wonderful lesson in civic responsibility and environmental pollution the Valhalla Board of Education is teaching the children. 

Click the Extra above for a copy of the latest Journal News Article about the Fill for Fields nightmare. 

How much spearheading has been done by New Dr. Kelly?  Who did she contact before and after the Comptroller's audit?  FOILs received from several government agencies show only show contact in reaction to this website,  Spear heading is just another tall tale from the board office. 

In December of 2005 we FOILED for the information that would include the identity of all companies and individual who were paid to create this illegal carcinogenic dump.  A Dump that sits a few feet from three of the four district schools and spills out, under a fence for everyone to be exposed.  As of November, 2006 eleven months later, the district continues to cover up and refuses to produce this public information in violation of New York State Law.  Now the information on the 1997 Fill for Fields proposal has dissappeared.  Information that was used, just one year ago by the district's engineer to prepare their report on the contaminated fields.  We will pursue the facts and we will report them.

These all images and documents are provided to you free of charge for you to download and use.  Take them to the town meeting, ask questions.  What did they know and when did they know it?  Why did they ignore the warnings from their attorney and the Westchester County Board of Health.  Why did they make the kids play on the carcinogens?