WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.—A site remediation consultant told the governing body on March 15 that he hopes to present a final report by the end of April that will give the former 2.1-acre Galaxy Gardens site a clean bill of health, opening the door for the borough to collect $500,000 in county open space grant funds previously approved.
Daniel Lattanzi of First Environment Inc. of Butler said that a second round of groundwater testing on site is scheduled for early April, and if results fall below “very stringent standards,” he’ll be able to certify the site as meeting state environmental standards.
Lattanzi said the site’s environmental cleanup included mitigating soil-bound pesticides from a former garden center and gasoline residues from a former service station. He said an underground gasoline storage tank required excavation of contaminated soil, and testing and retesting of groundwater quality.
Mayor Carlos Rendo told Pascack Press that officials are “very excited about this news. We already had preliminary discussions on the bid process for the concept plan on the development of the park in anticipation of the ‘no further action’ letter.”
He said the excavated contaminated soil pile on site will be removed when the state environmental department (DEP) receives the certified cleanup report from First Environment, Inc.
As site LSRP, First Environment certifies to the DEP that the site is clean. The consultant submits a “response action outcome” letter to conclude the cleanup. No further DEP follow-up is needed, said Lattanzi. He said a monitoring well on site will be sealed.
Lattanzi said the state has relied exclusively on LSRPs to remediate and certify sites to state environmental standards since 2012. His firm says he’s LSRP for more than 35 site remediation program cases.
Following remediation, the site will be suitable for planned development as a passive park, said Borough Administrator Tom Padilla. The administrator said he reached out to county officials in advance of submitting final paperwork to access county grant funds.
Lattanzi said that upon submittal of the final cleanup report document to DEP, the borough can submit the report to claim its $500,000 county park grant. The recently completed $48,000 soil and groundwater remediation work included $31,525 to remove and replace 225 tons of soil, and $17,100 for site monitoring. All told, the mayor and council have committed $355,600 to site clearing, grading, demolition and remediation.
The former Galaxy Gardens site, at the busy Woodcliff Avenue–Werimus Road intersection, was purchased in February 2018 for $1.65 million by a 4–3 council vote, with Rendo breaking the tie. Some residents and council members also voiced concerns then about site contamination costs.
Prior to purchase, the site was also considered by Valley Chabad for synagogue expansion, but that effort stalled when possible contamination concerns became known and the borough moved to acquire it as open space.
Earlier this year, Rendo mentioned at least two top priorities for 2021, which included the opening of a Woodcliff Lake Reservoir Nature Trail and a passive park at the site