Legislature approves project manager hiring and authorizes remediation funds after contamination found at county office building

The Cayuga County Legislature voted on May 20 to move forward with outside project management services and to authorize environmental work after contractors reported contamination in the basement of the county office building at 160 Genesee Street.

Campus Construction Management Group presented its qualifications and proposed role as project manager for renovations of the county building. Mark Esposito, the firm's president, told legislators the company would act as the county’s owner representative, advising on scope, conceptual budgets, contract packaging and construction timelines.

At the same meeting legislators approved a resolution authorizing up to $150,000 for environmental and related professional services to support closure and remediation work tied to the building. County officials said the money will be used for necessary decontamination and to create a controlled environment to retrieve critical equipment, including 9‑1‑1 and IT assets.

Why it matters

County staff described the 9‑1‑1 and IT equipment as critical infrastructure with replacement costs in the millions. Officials said retesting of basement areas showed contamination in some spaces; the work authorized is intended to protect equipment while the county determines next steps.

What the legislature approved

- Project manager contract: The legislature approved engaging Campus Construction Management Group to provide project management services for the county office building planning and construction oversight. The firm outlined experience with municipal and K–12 projects and said it would assist with feasibility, budgeting and contractor coordination.

- Remediation/professional services authorization: The legislature authorized payment of up to $150,000 to environmental consultants and contractors (identified in committee as firms working on contamination assessment and abatement) to perform work to stabilize and make safe areas of the basement so county staff can retrieve equipment safely and evaluate abatement needs.

Officials' concerns and next steps

County leaders and the presenters emphasized the need to protect the data center and 9‑1‑1 operations. Officials said parts of the basement tested positive on repeat sampling after earlier tests; the plan includes creating a negative-pressure decontamination chamber and controlled retrieval of equipment.

The legislature asked Campus Construction and county staff to review existing reports and scope-of-work drafts before further firm commitments. County leaders said Campus Construction will examine the draft reports and advise whether additional investigation is required or if the current remediation plan is appropriate.

Speakers cited in this article

Mark Esposito — president, Campus Construction Management Group (first referenced 3016.12) Jason Hammond — director of project development, Campus Construction (first referenced 3056.8252) Rory Fitzpatrick — director of project partnerships, Campus Construction (first referenced 3056.8252) County environmental consultant (Sessler Environmental) — vendor referenced in committee and on the record (first referenced 4623.165) Chair John Denan — chair, Cayuga County Legislature (first referenced 567.625)

Authorities

[]

Actions

[ {"kind":"contract_award","identifiers":{},"motion":"Authorize the chair to execute a project management services contract with Campus Construction Management Group for county office building planning and construction oversight","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"outcome":"approved","notes":"Exact vote tally not specified in transcript."},{"kind":"contract_award","identifiers":{},"motion":"Authorize expenditure up to $150,000 for environmental and professional services to address contamination and to support safe retrieval of 9-1-1 and IT equipment at 160 Genesee Street","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"outcome":"approved","notes":"Resolution passed; transcript records discussion about scope and that Campus Construction will review draft reports prior to additional commitments."} ]

Clarifying details

[ {"category":"authorization amount","detail":"Authorized professional services/remediation funding","value":150000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"County staff"},{"category":"critical assets","detail":"9-1-1 and IT equipment described as expensive critical infrastructure; retrieval will require decontamination chamber","value":"not specified","source_speaker":"County staff"},{"category":"scope","detail":"Project manager scope: feasibility, conceptual budgets, construction timelines, owner representation","source_speaker":"Mark Esposito"},{"category":"basement testing","detail":"Retesting indicated contamination in basement areas; earlier summer samples were clean on some floors but basement showed contamination on subsequent tests","source_speaker":"County staff"} ]

Proper names

[ {"name":"Campus Construction Management Group","type":"business"},{"name":"Sessler Environmental","type":"organization"},{"name":"160 Genesee Street","type":"location"} ]

Community relevance

Geographies: ["Auburn","Cayuga County"] Funding_sources: ["county budget allocations set aside for 160 Genesee Street remediation"] Impact_groups: ["county employees","residents dependent on 9-1-1 services"]

Meeting context

engagement_level: {"speakers_count":6,"duration_minutes":60,"items_count":2} implementation_risk:"high" ,history:[{"date":"2024-05","note":"Initial closure and earlier testing of county office building recorded; ongoing remediation conversations since closure"}]

Searchable_tags:["remediation","160 Genesee Street","project_manager","Campus Construction","9-1-1"]

Provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"block_3016.12","local_start":0,"local_end":210,"evidence_excerpt":"This time, I'm gonna go to, order and invite mister, Mark Esposito, president of campus construction management. ... We put just together a quick brief presentation in our response. Our proposal that we submitted, for the project management services for the county office building, and reviewing the conceptual plans reports that are there.","global_start":2998,"global_end":3208,"tc_start":"00:50:00","tc_end":"00:53:30","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_8626.135","local_start":0,"local_end":210,"evidence_excerpt":"This this lehi, resolution is to the continuation of the current sales and potentially future notes related to the expenses associated with 1 60, in regards to the Cecil Environmental, Loteer, and, Colliers, who are our current vendors as far as they're doing help they're dealing with us with the entry with our vendors. And, also, they're able to ... This was placed in the budget for 160 Genesys Street.","global_start":8626,"global_end":8836,"tc_start":"02:23:46","tc_end":"02:28:56","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}