Residents Upset As LIRR Uses Defunct Station As Storage Site
BLUE POINT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Some storage issues are causing trouble on Long Island.
Neighbors in Suffolk County are upset at how the LIRR is using the property of their former station.
The former rail station yard in Blue Point went out of use in 1980, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported.
Two months ago, the LIRR decided to use the defunct station as a storage site.
In Blue Point, residents stroll past rare waterfowl at the great south bay.
"First they clear cut a lot of the trees. They plan on using this as a storage area," said Michael Keil, president of the Springhorn Condominium Community that abuts a staging area for the new LIRR project, which will take three years.
Beginning two months ago, deliveries of rails, concrete and creosote wood pilings arrived.
"The railroad is turning a sleepy little bedroom community into Jamaica Station," said Keil. "Rails, material, it's not in keeping with the community."
When the station closed, the land along the main drag, Blue Point Avenue, was hidden by trees. A school is adjacent and the library is down the block.
Residents of 70 units of housing that border the tracks can smell and hear it all.
"The sound that we hear is like a machine picking up one of the heavy ties and dropping it from 10 feet up. The noise makes me jump," said resident Geri Incerto.
There are also environmental concerns. Residents worry about potential chemical contamination of the creek bed, wetlands, groundwater and nearby great south bay.
"I feel the Long Island Rail Road can move this staging area to a different part of the island, of Suffolk County, that is less residential," said Brookhaven Town councilman Neil Foley.
A petition is being circulated with that goal in mind.
The LIRR met with residents to ease concerns.
"They were patronizing us," said Keil, claiming he was told "If you don't like it, plant shrubbery."
McLogan checked with the LIRR, which said it will be a good neighbor and will limit noise and hours and that no chemicals will be stored at the site.