Wappingers Falls park in lead cable spotlight

By Peter Katz / pkatz@westfairinc.com

It didn't take long for elected officials to react to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that thousands of communication cables wrapped in lead are buried in the ground across the U.S. and could be leaching the metal into the soil. Highlighted in the WSJ story was a cable at Temple Park in Wappingers Falls in Dutchess County. The WSJ reported that soil at the park perimeter had elevated lead levels above what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers safe in soil in areas where children play.

of the bus. BusPatrol's cameras are activated when the stop arms swing out. In addition, school districts can benefit from additional safety features that include cameras inside buses that monitor what's taking place

“The safety of our kids is always going to be a priority. The opportunity to implement a program at no cost to taxpayers that protects students made this an obvious partnership to develop,” said Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne. “We are taking proactive steps to protect our children and hold irresponsible drivers accountable for their actions.”

According to statistics from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transport Services that were provided by BusPatrol, an estimated 43.5 million vehicles illegally pass stopped school buses annually in the U. S. In New York state, vehicles illegally pass stopped

As a result of the story, Rep. Pat Ryan, who used to be the Ulster County executive, wrote to the CEOs of Verizon, AT&T and U.S. Telecom, demanding that they remove their lead cables.

"The fact that telecommunications companies knew that there were lead-covered cables left abandoned in communities, and did not proactively work to mitigate the impacts of the cables is unacceptable," Ryan wrote. "This corporate irresponsibility and its compounding public health impacts has the possibility of harming a generation of children, who were simply going to the playground."

Wappingers Falls' Temple Park was temporarily closed while both the New York State Department of school buses an estimated 50,000 times each school day.

“This public-private partnership is a win-win for student safety,” said Steve Randazzo, executive vice president at BusPatrol. “Putnam County is taking a huge step forward to enhance road safety and ensure every child travels safely to school. This program will hold irresponsible drivers accountable for jeopardizing the well-being of our children and provide a safer ride to and from school for the 13,200 students in Putnam County.”

BusPatrol says that 98% of the drivers who get a ticket for passing a stopped school bus don't do it again. The company says that it provides software that can analyze where violations are most likely to occur so that school systems and municipalities can pay particular attention to those locations or develop bus routes that avoid them.

Health and Department of Environmental Conservation examined soil samples for signs of lead. Both agencies sent a letter to 246 telecommunications companies operating in the state telling them to begin compiling an inventory of all cables still in use or abandoned that may contain lead.

"The health and safety of New Yorkers is the top priority of my administration, and we are using all of the tools at our disposal to ensure communities are out of harm's way," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "Lead-covered cables pose a serious threat to communities across New York, and I am directing state agencies to immediately launch a full investigation. We will hold the telecommunication companies responsible and take swift action to remediate any problems."