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DEC requests access to Veterans Park on Grand Island for radiological follow‑up
Summary
The New York State Department of Environmental requested town permission to perform a phase‑3, on‑the‑ground radiological reconnaissance at a single aerial‑survey point in Veterans Park; DEC said the dot on the map does not necessarily indicate contamination and the work will be scheduled to avoid park events.
The New York State Department of Environmental told the Grand Island Town Board it has identified a single point of interest in Veterans Park during an aerial radiological survey and seeks access to municipal property for field verification.
"My name is Patrick Concannon," said Patrick Concannon, who said he was representing the state agency and described the work as "an ongoing effort to perform radiological assessments throughout the community." Concannon told the board the aerial method produces coarse 500–600‑foot features and that a single map dot "doesn't indicate that there's a problem." He said the DEC intends to send phase‑3 crews for handheld, localized checks to determine whether the reading relates to man‑made features, natural bedrock, decorative stones, or other causes.
Board members pressed DEC on timing, neighborhood notification and park use. Concannon said field work could occur "in a matter of days" after authorization, that crews will accommodate park schedules (avoiding tournaments and peak daytime use), and that property owners may accompany crews and receive immediate, preliminary readings while full analyses are reviewed by health‑physics staff over a period of "weeks." He said DEC will provide a centralized hotline and an access form the town can distribute to clerks to streamline resident inquiries.
The board accepted DEC's offer to supply contact information and outreach materials. No formal town action to authorize access was recorded on the transcript at this meeting; the board and DEC agreed to coordinate scheduling and to provide the public with the DEC hotline and instructions ahead of any field work.
