New Rochelle DPW Commissioner Leads Public Tour of City Yard; Beechwood Avenue Site Not Ideal, Tuck Tape Alternative “Intriguing”

During a public tour of the DPW’s City Yard on East Main Street today, City of New Rochelle Department of Public Works Commissioner Alex Turgis raised doubts about the Beechwood Avenue site for a new City Yard and called the idea of relocating the City Yard to the adjoining Tuck Tape property at the corner of East Main Street and Lefevre Lane “intriguing”.

Turgis stated that the Beechwood Avenue site was not his “dream site”, adding that he would prefer a location that is more central to the city. Asked what it was about Beechwood Avenue that made it less than a dream site, Turgis said it was a “tighter area” and “not on a main road”. The Tuck Tape property can be designed to connect directly onto East Main Street. Turgis said that it was the nature of the DPW to be tucked in an out of the way location and that he recognized that he would never get a site like near Iona College.

Under a plan proposed by former New York State Assemblyman Ron Tocci, a parking structure could be extended from Main Street, the site today of a Honda Used Car dealership, out over the Tuck Tape property which is an area roughly 30 feet below street level. The entire City Yard would be covered by the proposed parking structure protecting employees, equipment and road salt from the elements and serve as a noise shield. The property directly behind the Tuck Tape property is the Westchester County Waste Treatment Plant.

Turgis was interrupted a number of times by members of the group who challenged some of the assertions Turgis weaved into his tour regarding the need to move the City Yard to Beechwood Avenue. The New Rochelle City Council recently approved borrowing $600,000 to pay for a design of a facility at the Beechwood Avenue site.

Community leaders opposed to the Beechwood Avenue site, including Elaine Waltz of the South End Civic League, Jim Killorin of Westchester County Habitat for Humanity, John D’Alois of the East End Civic Association, Bob McCaffrey of the Mount Joy Neighborhood Association, and John Karl of the Sunhaven Neighborhood Association were joined by reporters from Channel 12 News, Journal News, Daily New Rochelle, New Rochelle Patch and Talk of the Sound for a one hour tour of the facility.

During the tour, Turgis raised a point he had raised to the City Council to justify building a new City Yard at the Beechwood Avenue site — showers for sanitation workers. Turgis has made the point that after a shift the workers can be exposed to garbage and liquids that have an unpleasant smell but there are not shower facilities at the City Yard so they are forced to drive home in their personal vehicles and shower at home. After acknowledging that under the best case scenario it would be at least two years before a new yard was built, Turgis was asked about the possibility of leasing mobile shower facilities in the interim. Turgis indicated that he would be exploring that possibility.

City Council Member Louis Trangucci had already been researching that option and tells Talk of the Sound he intends to request a discussion item on mobile shower facilities at the next City Council meeting on March 13th.

Other topics raised during the tour will be covered under separate articles including the fate of the Mayor’s Hybrid-Electric truck and the $250,000 oil tank installed last year by a frequent no-bid contractor with close ties to at least one City employee. More on that later.