To the Editor:  

May 4, 2016:  We would like to thank [members of the community] so very much for their letter writing and advocacy [regarding the DEC Hearing] on the toxic quarry dump.

We have heard from the wonderful Waverly School and Eastchester PTA that over 250 letters were sent in.  In addition, many from Bronxville, Tuckahoe, and Yonkers sent in letters.

The Sierra Club and the Eastchester Board of Education also sent in letters.

Mr. Donald Hughes, PE, PhD, of Hughes Environmental Consulting submitted detailed technical comments on the proposed remedial action work plan.

Mr. Paul Rubin of Hydroquest submitted technical comments on the proposed RAWP.

Mr. David Gordon, Esq., submitted legal comments on the proposed RAWP.

Receipt of the letters and the comments was confirmed by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin's office and Senator Latimer himself.

We are waiting for count confirmation on the number of letters received.

The Sierra Club, Mr. David Gordon, Esq., Mr. Paul Rubin, and I (Rachel) will be meeting with Assemblywoman Paulin this week.

This is a good beginning.

The more awareness that you, the public, can spread about the issue, the better the situation will be.

For those who were unable to write in before the deadline, you can still write to the DEC Commissioner, Assemblywoman Paulin, Senator Latimer, and your local public officials. Your comments will have impact.  

The only difference now is that comments submitted will not be included in the RAWP public record. 

But the more contact that you have with those in charge of the situation, the more influence you will have.

Persistence is essential.

We are an intelligent community that cares about the health, safety, and welfare of each other.

The most important aspect of this is to completely understand the hazards in the toxic quarry dump before any type of remedy, cleanup, or work is proposed.

We still don't have enough answers. We will be mobilizing more by the end of the week with more actions.

Please let us know how you think the public and public officials can best be reached and encouraged to take action.

We welcome all volunteers.

We are in this together.

This is our air.

This is our water.

This is our community.

Very best regards,

Rachel Zolottev & The Marbledale Road Environmental Coalition
Tuckahoe, New York

Editor's note:  MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements in letters to the editor, and the opinions do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff. Its objective in publishing letters to the editor is to give air to diverse thoughts and opinions of residents in the community.