By Jacky Gerzema
Loliscio put his Stratford Road house on the market in February because he says he can no longer live with gas and oil fumes that infiltrate his house. He has lived adjacent to the Pit Stop gas station on Grand Avenue since the late 1980s. Things were fine at first, but since 1998, he has suffered through several gas spills and leaks and the attempted cleanup measures by Department of Environmental Conservation.
"What's happened to me has not been fair," Loliscio said.
Since his house went on the market, over 60 people have looked at it but none have come back a second time.
With a new disclosure law, Loliscio is required to tell prospective
buyers about the gas fumes and cleanup remediation equipment near the property.
"Some people asked about the equipment and testing points when they came to look at the house, and I tell them what it is," Loliscio said. "If they don't ask, I won't say anything about the cleanup because I want to wait until they call back. I haven't had a chance to tell anyone yet because no one has come back a second time."
The Oct. 4 issue of the Herald documented Loliscio's battles with the Pit Stop and DEC. His daughter's bedroom is on the first floor of his home, but she has slept upstairs with her sister for the past few years to avoid the gas fumes that infiltrate the basement and slowly rise up through the rest of the house.
The Loliscio's backyard and driveway are spotted with bright orange cones that mark DEC testing points where the amount of gas in the ground and the air quality in and around the house is tested.
Large vacuums and cleanup equipment border the Loliscio's property line behind the Pit Stop gas station and are both an eyesore and a nuisance because of the noise they generate, Loliscio said.
He also said he cannot entertain guests or have barbecues in the backyard because the smell of gas fumes is too strong.
Fred Glaser of Baldwin also lives near the Pit Stop and said that in the past few months the DEC's cleanup measures have expanded.
"I don't understand why the DEC says that the gas spill situation is
getting better but they have expanded the cleanup," Glaser said. "Usually if the situation is getting better, cleanup will wind down. It's a nuisance to us because of the aesthetics of it. No one wants to see this cleanup equipment near their property. This has been going on for years. It's not getting better. There has to have been another spill recently."
Robert DeCandia of the DEC said that a few months ago, levels in the remedial cleanup equipment located at the back of the Pit Stop along the Loliscio's property line were increasing when they should have been decreasing. The Pit Stop's tanks were then tested, and a leak was found. The new spill was recorded with the DEC and the tank was replaced. Since then, additional remedial equipment has been added to clean up this most recent spill, DeCandia said.
"For all intents and purposes, the cleanup is starting over because of [this spill]," DeCandia said.
In October, Loliscio sued the owners of the Pit Stop gas station for affecting his health and well-being.
Loliscio worked with Ralph Hummell, an environmental specialist and the only lawyer in Nassau County who would take his case, according to Loliscio. Loliscio said that at the seven-day trial in October, members of the DEC and the Department of Health were called to testify on the Pit Stop's behalf. For his part, Loliscio said he was unhappy with his representation.
Hummell could not be located for comment at press time.
The owners of the Pit Stop won the case and Loliscio said he now has a lien on his house in order to pay legal fees to the gas station.
"When we sell our house, we have to give money to the company that contaminates it," he said. "It's not fair."
Employees at the Pit Stop declined to comment on the case.
Rob DeCandia said that he understand why Loliscio is fed up.
"There are testing locations on his property to ensure that no vapors are going toward his home," DeCandia said. "It just depends on what people's tolerance is. Here we have a new [gas] discharge and we're looking at least a few more years of cleanup. What he thought was going to end didn't end."
