Complaint Review: P & A Pumping Station

synopsis of what has transpired over the years with the P+A Pump Station.

1. Peter and Anita Del Pesce started building a Planned Unit Development (PUD) called Green Tree Estates back in 1976. Staten Island, NY

2. In order to build on this patch of land he was required to provide a pump station to pump water up to grade level so that water could drain normally through the NYC sewer system.

3. They built the pump Station which is situated on Morani Street near the corner of Victory Boulevard. Staten Island, NY

4. Peter and Anita had to prepare a prospectus for the NYC Planning Department in order for them to have the PUD approved. In that prospectus (which was approved) it spoke of the pump station and the fees to be charged (These fees were to cover the cost of operating the pump station. Fees were not to be applied to make a profit.) My fees were $324 dollars per year in 1996 when only Greentree estates was hooked up to the pump station. Greentree estates has 119 homes attached to the pump station. We now pay 488 per year and there are over 400 homes attached to the very same pump station today. Is someone making a profit or is this pump station operating to just cover expenses until the City of New York takes over this pump station. If they ever do.

5. Since the building of the one pump station on Morani Street near the corner of Victory Boulevard some 4 or 5 other developments also build by Pete and Anita Del Pesce were connected to the very same pump station. Some 400 to 500 homes pay a fee twice per year to the P + A Pump Station. My fee is 244 per six months or approximately 488 per year. Multiply that 488 dollars times the low end number of houses attached to the pump station and they collect some 200,000 dollars per year every year to operate a pump station. 200,000 dollars per year for 34 years (at today's prices) means that they have collected 6.8 million dollars. Do you think that they are making a profit?? How much do these pumps cost and how long do they last? How much does it cost to maintain a pump station annually?

6. The City of New York was supposed to take over the pump station in a reason amount of time from it's inception. Currently the pump station is operating between 34 and 35 years. What is wrong with this picture. Most other pump stations on Staten Island have been taken over by the former builders or other owners because they did not do the pump replacements over time. Failure to maintain the pump stations of old made them prime candidates for NYC to take them over.

7. P+A Pump Station was not incorporated until Peter Del Pesce died. How did the moneys collected get filed with the IRS? I was told this and have not substantiated it but it is worthy of researching.

8. The Pump Station building does not have a Certificate of Occupancy yet it operates freely without violation for some 34 years.

9. Many many letters have been written to Congressmen, House Representatives, and other elected officials asking for the pump station to be taken over by NYC or at least to be put on a capital project schedule to start the process of moving this station over to NYC. All letters just gave condolences responses and nothing more happened. Our argument is and was that we are PAYING TWICE for NYC water. Once to NYC itself and once to Anita Del Pesce. These bills are now exorbitant especially seeing that NYC water bills have increased over 50 percent in the past 4 years and P and A Pump station has used the cost of living index as a means to increase the fees for the pumping station. Could we get any of this excessive profit money back from either or both NYC and P AND A PUMP STATION?