Serving the neighborhoods of Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, and Van Cortlandt Village
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BRONX COMMUNITY BOARD NO. 8 5676 Riverdale Avenue, Suite 100 • Bronx, New York 10471-2194
Telephone: 718-884-3959 • Fax: 718-796-2763 E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.nyc.gov/bronxcb8 Follow us on Facebook
The City Of New York
Ruben Diaz, Jr., Bronx Borough President Rosemary Ginty, Chairperson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Information: Ms. Laura Spalter October 26, 2017 917 969-8205, 718 601-0483 [email protected]
Bronx Community Board #8 and Community Leaders Applaud CSX’s Clean-Up of Putnam South Property (Bronx, New York) -- Bronx Community Board #8 today held an event to mark the completion of a massive
clean-up effort of CSX’s ¾-mile-long Putnam South property, adjacent to the Major Deegan Expressway from
Van Cortlandt Park South to West 230th Street.
This project was done by CSX Transportation at the request of the Community Board and involved months of
intense garbage and debris clean up, path-clearing and graffiti removal for the length of the property
Ms. Rosemary Ginty, chair of Bronx Community Board 8 said, “I commend our Environment & Sanitation
Committee chair Laura Spalter and her committee for pursuing the necessary clean-up of the CSX Putnam
South property and the agreement by CSX to undertake this massive effort. A true success story for our
community.”
Ms. Laura Spalter, chair of the Environment and Sanitation Committee of Community Board #8, said, “This
cleanup has removed a neighborhood blight and revealed the potential for a new Rails-to-Trails Greenway
with tremendous environmental, recreational, and economic benefits to our community,” Spalter said.
Senator Jeff Klein said, “The abandoned CSX rail line has been littered with debris for far too long and I’m
glad to assist Community Board 8 in their push to get the land cleaned up. CSX has made progress and I
look forward to the completion of the cleanup.”
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said, "I applaud CSX and Community Board 8, including Environmental and
Sanitation Committee Laura Spalter and Board Chair Rosemary Ginty, for their work on this huge cleanup of
the Putnam South Right-of-Way. A horrible eyesore has been transformed and an enormous amount of
garbage has been removed from our neighborhood. This is the kind of hard work and team work that makes
ours the great community that it is."
Serving the neighborhoods of Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, and Van Cortlandt Village
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“I applaud CSX and the Community Board for coming to an agreement on the cleanup of Putnam South,”
said Council Member Andrew Cohen. “It’s so important that community partner’s work together to keep the
Bronx beautiful. I’m thrilled that the cleanup has been agreed upon and that progress has been made.”
"We applaud the efforts of Bronx Community Board Eight," said NYC Parks Bronx Commissioner Iris
Rodriguez-Rosa. "Their unyielding advocacy has made this cleanup a reality. Now we are looking towards
the future and are excited for this land to reach its full potential."
Rodney Oglesby, resident vice president for state government affairs for CSX, said, “CSX would be pleased
to see this property re-purposed for recreational uses by residents of the Van Cortlandt and Kingsbridge
community. We look forward to continuing our dialog with the city in hopes of identifying a path forward in that
process.”
The recognition event was held on a portion of the Putnam South Right-of-Way property located at the
eastern end of Verveelen Place between West 230th and 231st Streets, just east of Broadway. Local elected
officials, government representatives, community board members, involved community organizations and
CSX were represented at the event.
# # #
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo1:BEFORE-VIEWLOOKINGSOUTHTOWARDS230THFROMVERVEELENPLACE
Photo2:AFTER-VIEWLOOKINGSOUTHTOWARDS230THSTREETFROMVERVEELENPLACE
Photo3:BEFORE–VIEWOFDENSEVEGETATIONNEARACCESSPOINTATVERVEELENPLACELOOKINGNORTH
TOWARDS231STSTREET
Photo4:AFTER–VIEWNEARACCESSPOINTATVERVEELENPLACELOOKINGNORTHTOWARDS231ST
STREET
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo 1: BEFORE ‐ VIEW LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS23OTH FROM VERVEELEN PLACE
Photo 2: AFTER ‐ VIEW LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS 230THSTREET FROM VERVEELEN PLACE
Photo 3: BEFORE ‐ VIEW OF DENSE VEGETATION NEARACCESS POINTAT VERVEELEN PLACE LOOKING NORTH
TOWARDS 231ST STREET
Photo 4: AFTER ‐ VIEW NEAR ACCESS POINT ATVERVEELEN PLACE LOOKING NORTH TOWARDS 231ST
STREET
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo7:AFTER–VIEWLOOKINGNORTHOF231STSTREETAFTERDEBRISREMOVALANDPLACEMENTOFMULCH
Photo8:BEFORE-VIEWOFAPPLIANCESTORESHOWINGDEBRISANDVEGETATIONBETWEEN231STAND233RD
Photo9:AFTER-VIEWLOOKINGSOUTHTOWARDS231STAFTERREMOVALOFVEGERATIONANDDEBRISINCLUDINGNEARAPPLIANCESTORE
Photo10:BEFORE-VIEWOF233RDUNDERPASSDEBRIS/LITTER/GARBAGELOOKINGNORTH
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo 7: AFTER - VIEW LOOKING NORTH OF 231ST STREETAFTER DEBRIS REMOVALAND PLACEMENT OF MULCH
Photo 8: BEFORE - VIEW OF APPLIANCE STORE SHOWINGDEBRIS AND VEGETATION BETWEEN 231ST AND 233RD
Photo 9: AFTER - VIEW LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS 231STAFTER REMOVAL OF VEGERATION AND DEBRIS INCLUDINGNEAR APPLIANCE STORE EM :W1; ’ Hf.” ‘ ' -‑
Photo 10: BEFORE - VIEW OF 233RD UNDERPASSDEBRIS/LITTER/GARBAGE LOOKING NORTH
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo11:BEFORE-VIEWOF233RDUNDERPASS
DEBRIS/LITTER/GARBAGELOOKINGSOUTH
Photo12:AFTER-VIEWLOOKINGSOUTHUNDER233RD
OVERPASSFOLLOWINGREMOVALOFDEBRIS/LITTER/GARBAGEANDOVERGROWNVEGETATION
Photo13:BEFORE–VIEWOFDENCEVEGETATION
BETWEEN233RDAND234THSTREETS Photo14:BEFORE–VIEWOFDENCEVEGETATIONANDEMBEDEDDEBRISBETWEEN233RDAND234THSTREETS
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
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Photo 11: BEFORE ‐ VIE OF 233RD UNDERPASSDEBRIS/LI'I'I'ER/GARBAGE LOOKING SOUTH
OVERPASS FOLLOWING REMOVALOFDEBRIS/LI'I'I'ER/GARBAGEAND OVERGROWN VEGETATION
3 ' . ~ .,I‘ . ‘fl5 . o ‘Photo 13: BEFORE ‐ VIEW OF DENCE VEGETATION
BETWEEN 233RD AND 234TH STREETSPhoto 14: BEFORE ‑ VIEW OF DENCE VEGETATION ANDEMBEDED DEBRIS BETWEEN 233RD AND 234TH STREETS
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo15:BEFORE-VIEWOFDEBRISUNDER234THSTREETLOOKINGNORTHDURINGCLEANUP
Photo16:BEFORE-VIEWOFDEBRISUNDER234THLOOKINGSOUTHTOWARDS233RDDURINGCLEANUP
Photo17:AFTER-VIEWLOOKINGUNDERANDSOUTHOF234THAFTERCLEARINGOFVEGETATION/DEBRISAND
PLACEMENTOFMULCH
Photo18:BEFORE-VIEWLOOKINGNORTHFROM234THTOWARDS238TH
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo 15: BEFORE - VIEW OF DEBRIS UNDER 234TH STREETLOOKING NORTH DURING CLEANUP Photo 16: BEFORE - VIEW OF DEBRIS UNDER 234TH
LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS 233RD DURING CLEANUP
Photo 17: AFTER - VIEW LOOKING UNDERAND SOUTH OF234TH AFTER CLEARING OFVEGETATION/DEBRIS AND
PLACEMENT OF MULCHPhoto 18: BEFORE - VIEW LOOKING NORTH FROM 234TH
TOWARDS 238TH
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo19:AFTER-VIEWLOOKINGNORTHFROM234TH
TOWARDS238TH
Photo20:BEFORE-VIEWLOOKINGSOUTHTOWARDSBJS
FROM238THUNDERPASS
Photo25:BEFORE-VIEWLOOKINGNORTHOF239THTOWARDSVANCORTLANDTPARKSOUTHDURING
VEGETATIONANDDEBRISREMOVAL
Photo26:AFTER–VIEWLOOKINGNORTHOF239THTOWARDSVANCORTLANDTPARKSOUTHAFTER
VEGETATIONANDDEBRISREMOVAL
CSX Clean Up Before and After Photos
Photo 19: AFTER - VIEW LOOKING NORTH FROM 234THTOWARDS 238TH
Photo 20: BEFORE - VIEW LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS BJSFROM 238TH UNDERPASS
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Photo 25: BEFORE - VIEW LOOKING NORTH OF 239THTOWARDS VAN CORTLANDT PARK SOUTH DURING
VEGETATION AND DEBRIS REMOVAL
Photo 26: AFTER - VIEW LOOKING NORTH OF 239THTOWARDS VAN CORTLANDT PARK SOUTH AFTER
VEGETATION AND DEBRIS REMOVAL