By JOSEPH KELLARD
Rieco Properties Inc., a recycler of construction and demolition debris based in Port Washington, has applied for a variance with the zoning board, the central issue of which involves whether the materials to be recycled may be "noxious" and "offensive."
"The proposed use of the property, to recycle construction material, is an as-of-right use," Lawrence Schillinger, environmental attorney for Rieco, told the Herald. "The sole and very limited determination to be made by the zoning board is whether that use could potentially have a noxious or offensive impact. And we will clearly and conclusively demonstrate that there will be no adverse impacts from our facility."
The residents in opposition, many of whom live in the Ocean Cove co-op complex on Daly Boulevard, oppose Rieco's plan to build the facility adjacent to Liotta & Sons, a recycler of similar materials located just west of the intersection of Daly and Lawson boulevards. Already bothered by dust and a smell likened to rotten eggs that they claim are emitted by Liotta, the residents are concerned that these problems will be increased by Rieco.
"The smell comes through the central air conditioning and you can't even sit in your own home," said Vivian Wild, a 12-year resident of Ocean Cove. "I have a cleaning person, and I can write my name on my dining room table because of the brown dust that forms there. We don't need more of this."
"Rieco will have no odors and no dust," Schillinger said. "The majority of Rieco's operations are going to be indoors. The building itself keeps the dust in, being equipped with a dust suppression system. A very small percentage of material will be outdoors. The facility will be in an appropriately zoned area, a full quarter-mile away from the nearest residents. And the proposed hours for processing are between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m."
Another related concern of residents is the increase in trucks in an area already heavy with truck traffic. "The trucks are part of this issue because there would be more trucks coming down Daly Boulevard to get the materials to Rieco," said resident Mary Hirschel. "We already have a lot of traffic."
"No more trucks will use this facility than are currently allowed to be used," Schillinger said. "We will have no more trucks with our use than were used by the petroleum company that went out of business there. And that was a 24-7 operation. Ours isn't."
The property owned by Rieco was formerly owned by Olympia, a petroleum company that is no longer in business. Residents are further concerned that the property is potentially contaminated with oil. Schillinger said that if the site is contaminated, Rieco would be responsible for cleaning it up.
"It's more of what is already going on over there," said Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback, who lives near Rieco's property. "I think that Oceanside has more than its share of these types of businesses, and that's why I'm opposed."
Toback said that after learning of Rieco's proposal, about 25 residents called him to assist them in their opposition. The legislator plans to meet with other interested residents to formulate a strategy to fight the proposal. "If they would like me to be the spokesperson, I certainly would do that," he said.
The first hearing in the case was scheduled for last Wednesday, Feb. 5. It was adjourned at the request of Toback, who asked the board to allow the opposition to bring in an expert engineer to testify.
The next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9.
