“Brooklyn in Transition: A Photographic Essay of the Gowanus� is currently on display in the Grand Lobby of the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza. It features photos by Jose Gaytan of the Gowanus Canal and its surrounding neighborhoods, focusing on architecture, the shoreline, bridges and found objects. They will be on display through August 29. Meanwhile, the public debate continues over whether the polluted canal should be designated a federal Superfund site or should be cleaned up through efforts by the city and private developers. The Environmental Protection Agency initiated a 60-day public comment period, which ends tomorrow, July 8. Read below for comments received by the Eagle about the proposal.

“There are several significant reasons why the city/state/federal approach is more desirable than the Federal Superfund program. Control: the local approach [will] have much more leverage to move the project along because there is much greater access to the various agencies involved. Scope: the regional project not only addresses the condition of the canal but puts in place guidelines to correct the current causes of the condition. Timing: the regional project has community, business, civic, and city/state commitments in place now to begin cleanup. The Superfund program would not begin for an indeterminate period of time.�
--George Magnifico, chair, Clean Gowanus Now! Coalition

“My priority is ensuring a clean future for Southwest Brooklyn while promoting local economic development and respecting the desires of the community. The state requested that Gowanus be considered for Superfund designation, and I respect the process set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency. With a long history of environmental remediation, the EPA is well equipped to determine the most viable plan for clean-up in Brooklyn.�
--Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez

“I’m not for the superfund. I’m for New York City’s alternative plan and the reason is we would lose a lot of funding. In the city, we need to get economic stimulus and the Gowanus is a good place to get it. I am for economic development in and around the Gowanus Canal and we have a better chance to do that with the city plan. People are against development, but they can’t say that, so they say’ it’s too polluted, you have to get the federal government to do it.’�
--Salvatore ‘Buddy’ Scotto, founder of Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation

“I think the combination between going straight Superfund and what the city is doing seems to be going well. It seem to be the best at getting funding and helping sites get developed without the stigma of the Superfund.�
--Michael Ingui, former chairperson, Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation

— Compiled by Zoe Thomas RELATED STORIES:

Fears Grow About Gowanus Superfund; Meeting Set for Tuesday

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net