The ceremony came on the same day that the city began sifting anew for 9/11 remains at the former Fresh Kills, another onetime environmental nightmare that is being reborn as a city park.

Officials on Tuesday will unveil preliminary plans for part of the first phase of the Fresh Kills makeover, which will turn the former dump into a recreation area three times the size of Central Park.

But Monday the focus was on Brookfield, which Bloomberg said was the second biggest parks project of his administration, trailing only Fresh Kills.

"The community has waited a long time for somebody to do something," Bloomberg said. "Finally, today, we are getting this done."

A corrupt Sanitation Department official took payments under the table and turned the 217-acre site into an illegal dumping ground for tons of hazardous waste in the 1970s.

Brookfield was closed in 1981, but little was done to clean up the contaminated site, despite years of complaints from area residents.

But Bloomberg said that a 132-acre Brookfield park would be open to the public sometime after 2017.

As part of a $266 million clean-up funded by the city and state, the landfill will be remediated with two tons of soil and capped with a heavy-duty lining to keep hazardous materials from escaping.

Bloomberg said that the city would plant 17,000 trees and shrubs, and place another 76,000 wetlands plantings on the site.

Calling Brookfield a "sharp reminder of the corruption and neglect of decades past," Bloomberg proclaimed, "This is a giant step into the future."

City Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore), who grew up in the neighborhood and recalled dumping household trash at Brookfield as a child, praised Bloomberg for pursuing the clean-up after the state dropped the ball. "This project was dead," Ignizio said. "But for the actions of Mayor Bloomberg coming in ... we wouldn’t be here today."

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reneged on its agreement to pay 75 percent of the cost of the clean-up, leading borough lawmakers to get an additional $166-million allocation from the city. The DEC is paying $100 million toward the clean-up.

Sharing the podium with Ignizio, DEC regional director Suzanne Mattei said, "We have a good remedy here because everybody was involved."

Rep. Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) said that all Islanders were victims of the environmental crime committed at Brookfield. "Today is a lesson in perseverance," he said.

Borough President James P. Molinaro also praised Bloomberg, who was elected to a third term last year, for committing to Brookfield.

"People said it was because he was running for re-election," said Molinaro. "But if you check the calendar, there is no re-election this year. We’re here as we promised."

State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) also grew up in the area, saying that the smell from the landfill was so bad that it kept residents up at night.

"The people of Staten Island will now begin to live in safety," he said.

"It’s a momentous occasion for the community, said John Felicetti of the Brookfield Citizens Advisory Committee, "one we’ve been working on for many, many years. It’s gratifying that we’re finally getting something done."

Also speaking Monday were Assemblymen Lou Tobacco (R-South Shore) and Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island), and Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn).

Meanwhile, the city yesterday began a three-month sifting operation for World Trade Center remains at Fresh Kills.

Bloomberg said that when equipment is moved or work performed at the landfill, soil is sometimes exposed that could potentially contain remains of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

If remains are found but cannot be identified, Bloomberg said that they will be placed in a sealed vault that will be part of the World Trade Center Memorial Museum.

"We are not going to walk away from our obligation to do anything that is reasonable, practical and affordable to recover and identify remains that might be there," Bloomberg said.