CONTACT: Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo, (518) 786-4579

FOR RELEASE: Friday, Mar 04, 2011

QUEENS, NY (03/04/2011)-- The National Guard Bureau will be checking an old National Guard rifle range that once existed on the grounds of Creedmore Psychiatric Center in Queens Village for potential environmental concerns this summer. The range is one of 23 former New York Army National Guard training sites that the National Guard Bureau will be inspecting for potential hazards. Current property owners are in the process of being asked to allow contractors on their property to conduct this check. The Department of Defense Military Munitions Response Program mandated the inspections. The program is being conducted worldwide to address human health, safety, and environmental concerns at former non-operational defense sites. This includes over 400 sites in 48 states and two territories formerly used by the National Guard. Inspectors will try to identify environmental liabilities that may be present due to historical use of the property formerly owned, leased or used by the New York Army National Guard for training. In addition to visually surveying the site and checking it with hand-held metal detectors and GPS units, inspectors will be collecting surface soil samples to a depth less than two to three inches. The inspectors will collect the samples with disposable plastic spoons, which are about the size of an ice cream scoop. The Creedmoor Small Arms Range was used from 1873 to 1907. The range was approximately 200 acres; the range boundary and layout are unknown, as are the types of ammunition used there. The former range is occupied by the Creedmore Psychiatric Center and surrounding properties. Anyone who has documents, records or photographs of the range are encouraged to contact Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo at corine.lombardo@us.army.mil or (518) 786-4579. The Munitions Response process consists of seven stages; a preliminary assessment to identify locations, research historical records, land usage and past incident(s) in the area, which was completed in 2008; site inspections which will begin in summer 2011, to collect additional information, data and samples necessary to determine if following actions are warranted at a site. Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group, Inc., an engineering and construction firm, will provide technical project planning and conduct historical research for this endeavor. Inspection and cleanup of these Department of Defense sites is eligible for Defense State Memorandum of Agreement funding under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program. The 23 sites located around the state were used as local training areas for National Guard units. The training sites vary in size from 3.7 to 939 acres and were used between 1873 and 1994, primarily for small arms range firing. Currently, the New York National Guard has three training sites located in Guilderland, Youngstown and at Camp Smith, near Peekskill. Soldiers also train regularly at Ft. Drum, near Watertown.