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Letter To Editor - Steck-Philbin Site Goes To Powercrush, Inc A Sand And Gravel Supplier
Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at 5:17PM 
It is disappointing to learn of Suffolk County’s selection of Powercrush, Inc. and Vision Associates LLC as the solar developer for the former Steck-Philbin site. It is a disappointment for a number of reasons.
Powercrush, Inc. is a sand and gravel supplier, not a solar developer. As far as we can tell they have never developed a solar site and are completely unqualified to undertake this task. It is difficult to ascertain what, exactly, Vision Associates LLC does, as neither they nor Powercrush, Inc. have a website.
Powercrush, Inc. is one of the many shell companies owned by Toby Carlson and operated out of 140 Old Northport Road in Kings Park - all sharing the same phone number (631)368-4000. Other businesses include Carlson Associates, Ketcham Group, Ketcham Transport, Ketcham Farms, Ketcham Container, Ketcham Supply, and so on.
However, it should come as no surprise that Powercrush, Inc. and the various Ketcham entities make significant campaign contributions to local politics. A very brief search yielded nearly $50,000 in “campaign contributions” in recent years (see attached).
Carlson Associates is no stranger to the NYSDEC. They have been fined more than $125,000 for their illegal sand mining activities in the 1990s (see attached) and their legal troubles have continued until as recently as 2013 when they were fined by Smithtown for property violations and flagged for submitting “vague” and “flawed” site plans (see attached Newsday article).
While our FOIL request for the proposal details was wholly denied by the Suffolk County Landbank (see attached), we have learned that Powercrush, Inc. plans to develop the site as a 4-megawatt solar farm and offered Suffolk County no more than $500,000 for the tax lien.
It may sound like sour grapes, but it is interesting to note that Ecological Engineering, with its more than 10 installed megawatts of experience, had proposed to install Long Island’s first community-owned 6-megawatt solar farm and offered the Suffolk County Landbank nearly $1,000,000 for the tax lien.
We wish Suffolk County, the Suffolk County Landbank and Powercrush, Inc. all the best in their new partnership. We hope the redevelopment of the site is a great success.
But I wouldn’t count on it.
-Shawn Nuzzo
Shawn Nuzzo is President of Ecological Engineering of Long Island
Carlson Associates DEC Violations 1993.pdf
Carlson Associates NEWSDAY.pdf
Reader Comments (1)
From 1988 – 1993, Toby’s father (owner of Carlson Associates) sand mined his property to help pay off debt. An offense which was rectified in 2000 when Toby Carlson returned home from college and reached out to the DEC for a settlement. He agreed to a remediation plan, which he is now in the final year of completing. By 2003, Toby Carlson paid off a substantial fine and his father’s debts by purchasing and operating an existing recycling business. He currently has DEC permits for all operations on the site, which include accepting RUCARBS – recycled uncontaminated concrete, asphalt, rock, brick and soil.
Unlike Mr. Nuzzo, who proposed using plant roots to remediate the site, Toby Carlson’s company, Power Crush and Vision Associates have partnered to fund and operate the complete remediation of this former illegal landfill. The work will be completed to DEC standards at a cost of several million dollars. Apparently, Mr. Nuzzo failed to understand the depth of waste on the site, which could be as much as 80 feet deep – far beyond the depth of plant roots.
Mr. Nuzzo also claims that Mr. Carlson will build the solar facility - another false statement. Our team has selected BQ Energy to construct the 4 MW (AC) solar farm, which is approximately the same size as Mr. Nuzzo’s proposed 6 MW (DC) plant. Unlike Mr. Nuzzo, who proposed to sell 25,000 $500 shares to build his solar facility, BQ Energy will respond to PSEG’s RFP for renewable energy and will finance their own project. They are a reputable and successful commercial solar developer, who has already won approval to build a 4 MW solar farm a ¼ mile east of this site.
Instead of ridiculing Mr. Carlson, Mr. Nuzzo should be applauding his generosity and personal commitment to this project. There is probably no one better suited to tackle the cleanup efforts needed to bring this property back to productive use than Mr. Carlson.
Mike Rosato