Residents urge trustees to test alleged Washingtonville cancer cluster and act on flooding and development

Residents at the Dec. 9 meeting told trustees they have long‑running concerns about flooding, contamination and what they described as a possible cancer cluster in Washingtonville.

"Our air, groundwater, soil, and aquifer are contaminated from past flooding events," Tim O'Connor said, asking the board to "partner with the local Washingtonville residents to advocate for our environmental situation and to provide a pathway for resolution." He and other commenters said they have worked with Grassroots Environmental Education and the Center for Health, Environment and Justice and requested more testing and funding.

Amy Siskind told trustees she hopes the new board and village manager will prioritize flooding and urged the board to fund testing the group has proposed. She said residents had requested roughly $65,000 for initial testing and asked trustees to consider that commitment.

Other residents asked for a moratorium on new development until the village creates a comprehensive flood‑mitigation plan. "We need a plan that's going to be productive and proactive," said Laura Boddy, adding that piecemeal studies had not protected neighbors who have lost property in repeated floods.

Trustees acknowledged the concerns and said staff will work on next steps; they did not commit to funding the testing request that night. Several speakers told the board to coordinate grants, technical assistance and intermunicipal planning and to report back to the public on timelines and responsibilities.

The meeting record shows continued public pressure for concrete action on testing, flood mitigation and development controls; trustees said the village will further investigate funding paths and consult with staff and partner agencies.