Latest news with #BrigitteStelzer
New York Post
6 days ago
- General
- New York Post
NYC recycling center crop dusting neighborhood with ‘choking' stink that has state fuming: ‘Literally gag'
A Long Island City asphalt recycling plant is spraying a 'choking' stink along the Newtown Creek — leaving state regulators fuming and residents plugging their noses. State regulators first raised a stink about the noxious fumes from Green Asphalt back in January 2024, when the company was accused of spewing emissions that 'unreasonably interfered with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property' in violation of the New York State Air Pollution Control Law. 7 New Yorkers living near Newtown Creek are calling on an asphalt recycling plant to stop releasing smelly, noxious fumes that 'choke' nearby residents. X / Blissville Civic Association 7 The Green Asphalt recycling plant on Railroad Avenue in Queens. Brigitte Stelzer But locals said take a whiff of the air along the Newtown Creek and the chemical odor has only gotten worse since then. 'At first it was a choking smell – I'm talking about how you would literally gag when you go outside,' said Tom Mituzas, a longtime resident of the Blissville section of the neighborhood and member of the Blissville Civic Organization. 'Your eyes would tear because the smokestacks are so low,' Mituzas said of the plant, which opened in 2011. 'The smoke would stay at street level, and you'd go out of your house and you'd breathe [fumes] in, and you'd just choke.' The resident told The Post he moved his 95-year-old aunt from her childhood home last summer because he was afraid 'she was going to die in the house' due to the fumes that seep indoors. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has continued to receive 'numerous' complaints about the odor — and its potential health effects, officials wrote in a letter to the plant Wednesday. 'The department has continued to regularly receive numerous community complaints and inquiries regarding both the odor emanating from the facility and potential human health implications associated with emissions from the facility,' the DEC wrote in a letter issued to the plant Wednesday. Regulators are now demanding the plant increase the height of its smokestacks from 45 feet to 90 feet by Dec. 11, its letter showed. The company will also have to test for air contaminants and an elemental analysis of the recycled asphalt materials it handles. 7 'Your eyes would tear because the smokestacks are so low. The smoke would stay at street level, and you'd go out of your house, and you'd breathe it in, and you'd just choke,' Mituzas said of the plant, which opened in 2011. Brigitte Stelzer 7 Blissville, Queens resident Tom Mituzas told The Post he had to evacuate his 95-year-old aunt out of her home last summer due to the smelly emissions. LinkedIn / Thomas J Mituzas A rep for Green Asphalt told The Post it has been 'working diligently to address any odor complaints' and strives to be in 'good standing with the community as we have over the last 14 years, and we continue to engage with local stakeholders in Greenpoint and Long Island City to resolve this as soon as possible.' Asphalt fumes can cause serious injury and permanent damage, including throat irritation, cough, fatigue and skin cancer, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 7 The Blissville Civic Association is calling on elected officials to help assuage the stinky fumes in Queens. 7 Billowing emissions from the Green Asphalt facility in Blissville, Queens. X / Blissville Civic Association 7 Council member Julie Won said she is advocating for air quality testing near the plant site. Stefan Jeremiah for New York Post Green Asphalt in Long Island City once touted a $50,0000 sub-contract with the DOT and has helped pave major Big Apple roadways like the Whitestone Expressway. It recycles asphalt to be used in city sustainability projects, and brands itself as the first 100% recycled asphalt plant in Gotham. The DOT stopped asphalt recycling operations with Green Asphalt 'around the time' the January 2024 violation was issued and has been waiting for a 'corrective plan before allowing operations to resume,' City Council member Julie Won's office told residents in an email shared with The Post. Won told The Post she and state pols are now working to make sure the DEC regularly tests air quality near the plant site, as well as enforces state environmental regulations 'appropriately to improve the situation.'
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Brooklyn Mirage suddenly cancels opening weekend over safety concerns: ‘cannot endanger New Yorkers'
The real mirage was the promises made. The Brooklyn Mirage canceled its highly anticipated four-show summer opening weekend Friday because the controversial venue failed to meet city safety standards. The open-air concert hall — which has been haunted by the deaths of two ravers — was unable to secure permits to operate, the venue's operators said, as construction crews could be seen working at the site. The news of the weekend cancellations came after the Mirage suddenly canceled a sold-out Thursday show just before a DJ was set to hit the stage. 3 The Brooklyn Mirage suddenly canceled its four-show weekend after failing to secure proper permits. instagram/brooklynmirage 'We know this is disappointing news. While we are working 24/7 on the solution, we want to first and foremost send a sincere apology to the fans, artists, crew members, and hundreds of employees who will bring Mirage to life each night,' Brooklyn Mirage said in a statement. 'We are actively collaborating with a wide range of city officials to meet all requirements, and we look forward to opening as soon as possible.' The Brooklyn Mirage, in conjunction with the venue's operator Avant Gardner, announced the previous afternoon that its first show of the season had been canceled — despite sharing an Instagram post hours earlier that the DJ set by Sara Landry, a Netherlands-based techno artist, was on schedule. The party organizers, who were also behind the disastrous 2023 Ezoo festival, claimed the cancellation had nothing to do with the dozens of construction workers who were crawling around what looked like an active site that morning, but rather with its inability to acquire the proper permits. 3 The concert venue looked to be still under active construction Thursday afternoon. Brigitte Stelzer According to City Hall, the Brooklyn Mirage was in no position to let ravers inside its doors this weekend. 'Our administration has been in ongoing communication with the owners of the Brooklyn Mirage to ensure their site meets the necessary structural and safety codes. Unfortunately, the venue does not currently meet the standards required for either a permanent or temporary structure,' a spokesperson told The Post. All foreseeable events would be canceled 'until we have deemed the site is safe and properly permitted,' the representative continued, stating that the city 'cannot endanger New Yorkers by allowing them to enter a venue without a permit.' When pressed for specifics, City Hall referred The Post to the Brooklyn Mirage, which diverted all questions to its social media statement. The fate of the remaining 70 shows on its summer lineup, which includes shows by Tiesto and the Chainsmokers, remains unclear. In her own social media post, Landry said the news was 'heartbreaking' — but somehow managed to move Thursday's show to the nearby Knockdown Center, though at a limited capacity, and scheduled a makeup show for Friday afternoon at the neighboring Brooklyn Storehouse. The Brooklyn Mirage had been undergoing extensive renovations for several months, with new CEO Josh Wyatt promising to revive the storied venue as a 'world-class music and dance experience underpinned by extraordinary design and hospitality.' The project was repeatedly delayed, with city records showing that the Department of Buildings placed three construction permits 'on hold' between April 30 and May 1 alone. 3 DJ Sara Landry was scheduled to be the first concert of the season. instagram/saralandryd Dozens of construction workers were still toiling away at the site on Thursday evening, reminding ravers of the disastrous 2023 Ezoo festival in which organizers — the same people behind Brooklyn Mirage — oversold tickets, but neglected to finish constructing the stage in time for the three-day concert. Avant Gardner was later sued by crews for allegedly not paying them for their services. That same summer, two men who went missing at the Brooklyn Mirage were found dead in a nearby creek, igniting rumours of a rave killer. The deaths of Karl Clemente and John Castic, both 27, were ruled to be drownings, with the medical examiner saying Clemente's death was accidental but Castic's was 'undetermined.'
