Brooklyn, NY - The future redevelopment of the former Domino Sugar refinery in Brooklyn is already garnering the attention of local labor unions who claim that the developer chosen for the project is considering a “shady” asbestos company to tackle the removal of the carcinogenic material from the site.
An article in The Gothamist reports that Two Trees Management, which will be overseeing the project over the next decade, has raised eyebrows for considering a company whose past involvement in similar projects is questionable at best and has resulted in a few lawsuits. And it’s all done in the name of saving a few dollars, say the members of Local 78, a union that consists of lead, asbestos, and hazardous waste laborers.
The union claims that not only did the company, New York Insulation, fail to pay its employees but they also left a hazardous mess behind after doing work at the Department of Education in Brooklyn, which was being turned into condominiums. They claim that during that particular job, asbestos material was literally flying out the window,
Jed Walentas, son of Two Trees founder David Walentas, claims the company is doing the right thing by hiring New York Insulation, proclaiming “total confidence” in the company. He also said they were “better than any other bidder, union or non-union.” Jeremy Soffin, the company’s PR director, agreed, adding that Two Trees has had “excellent experience working with New York Insulation in the past.”
The old refinery on the East River was built in 1856, and by 1870, records show, it was processing more than half the sugar used in the U.S. Though it was rebuilt after a fire in 1882, most of the old buildings remain on the site. The Brooklyn plant ceased operations in 2004. Three of the buildings have landmark status, but the others – which are full of asbestos – will be either demolished or renovated.
State and federal laws demand that asbestos removal be done by a licensed contractor trained in such procedures and that it be done in ways so as not to release dangerous fibers into the air, where they can be inhaled and cause mesothelioma cancer and other diseases.
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