We, the undersigned, respectfully request that Monroe County sell the 76-acre parcel of land at 1775 Kennedy Road, Penfield, N.Y. 14580, adjacent to the closed Gloria Drive landfill, to the Town of Penfield for the currently assessed value.  We are asking the Town of Penfield to purchase this land and reinstate an Open Space Initiative to include this parcel as designated open space for 99 years, or to put it in a 99-year conservation easement, while Monroe County continues to monitor this land.  We are asking that New York State, Monroe County, NY and the Town of Penfield work quickly to secure this fragile space.

Historically, the Gloria Drive landfill operated from 1975-1980 and is situated on Kennedy Road.  The closed landfill is owned and operated by Monroe County and is designated for remediation beginning in 2025 for a total cost of $5.5 million (ref 1). In 1997-1998, the county offered a county water line for Kennedy Road residents, so they could switch from well water, as there were concerns about water quality and complaints about water quality that had begun as early as 1980. (ref 2) A 76-acre parcel of land, 1775 Kennedy Road, sits directly to the east of the Gloria Drive Landfill and was purchased by Monroe County from a local farmer in 2015 (ref 3).  Since that time Monroe County has owned this parcel.  

In March of 2024, the residents of Kennedy Road learned that the Town of Penfield had proposed to enter an Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) with Monroe County to use a portion of this parcel for a temporary brush dump site for the town. The town and county were planning to vote on the proposal less than two weeks from the time that the residents learned of it. There was public concern about disrupting soil adjacent to an old landfill, the closure of which does not meet modern standards of landfill closures.(ref 4) There had been no environmental impact study, no notice to the residents, no opportunity for public participation.  Residents of East Penfield stood solidly against this plan, gathered petition signatures, alerted the media and secured legal counsel to oppose this IMA.  On April 12, 2024, The Town of Penfield announced that they were withdrawing their proposal, and that 1775 Kennedy Road would no longer be considered for the temporary brush dump use.  

During and since that time, we've learned a lot about this parcel of land and the possible future use of it.  As Monroe County owns this land, any county department with the means and needs could potentially disrupt this land, and the department of solid waste management has shown interest. While walking with a county representative, suspicious puddles appearing to be leachate with a sheen were found throughout the property. (ref 5) We learned that in 2006, The Town of Penfield Planning Board stated “There are some wet areas in the northwest corner of the property and the headwaters of a tributary to Four Mile Creek start on this property” and “preservation of this property could be obtained through Open Space Easement, State or Federal agricultural grants, … or a Conservation Easement.” (ref 6)  Further, the headwaters of Four Mile Creek feed into Irondequoit Bay and to Lake Ontario. (ref 7) The Gloria Drive Landfill and 1775 Kennedy Road are between two watersheds, meaning that leachate could be contaminating not only Four Mile Creek, but also Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes.  Disrupting this property poses environmental risks to the land, water, ecosystem, wildlife, atmosphere and residents.  Any use of this land is the wrong action. 

We seek to protect this land because it is the right action; right action for the land, the water, the environment, and the residents.  It is a way to make amends for the negative environmental impact that the Gloria Drive Landfill continues to create. 

We are calling on the town, the county and the state to find the necessary resources to purchase and protect this land immediately.  Let the land heal.

Please sign our petition to protect this fragile 76-acre parcel of land and help to minimize further environmental harm, resulting from the old Gloria Drive Landfill.  Please sign and share widely.

Thank you.

 

References:

1: https://www.monroecounty.gov/files/planning/CIP/Proposed%202023-2028%20CIP%20for%20MCPB%20final.pdf See page 56

2. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=gcp19800619-01.1.1&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-gloria+drive+landfill+water---------

3.  https://www.monroecounty.gov/etc/rp/report.php?a=264200-11101000010270000000

4.  https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-I/part-258/subpart-F

5.  https://www.clf.org/blog/all-landfills-leak-and-our-health-and-environment-pay-the-toxic-price

6.https://www.penfielddemocrats.org/uploads/2/1/2/5/21251372/dpt_planning_open_space_update_february_2006.pdf  See page 36

7.https://www.monroecounty.gov/files/gis/Town_Maps_2022/Watersheds%202022.pdf