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Authority discusses contaminated 9-acre site, cleanup options and redevelopment prospects
Summary
Officials discussed chlorinated solvent contamination concentrated in small areas of a roughly 9-acre site, potential brownfield tax incentives, an estimated $150,000 for further investigation, a $14 million lien on the property and a contractor billing dispute delaying turnover.
Speaker 2 said the authority is pursuing redevelopment of a roughly 9-acre parcel that includes a former industrial area and a school property, but that parts of the site have chlorinated solvents concentrated "in two areas" and require further investigation. The authority is talking with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and seeking additional funding to investigate and clean up contaminated zones.
The site has infrastructure advantages, Speaker 2 said, including municipal water and "185 megawatts of power right there at the site," which the authority sees as attractive for potential buyers such as data or artificial-intelligence centers. Speaker 2 added the authority secured a one-year due-diligence extension with the current owner and that a $14,000,000 labor lien is on the property.
Speaker 2 described the contamination as likely pooled in fractured rock and not currently migrating off-site, but cautioned that impacted zones could be deep and small in footprint. "They're concentrated in two areas," Speaker 2 said, adding that some camera-based subsurface inspection and other testing will be needed so teams can develop a cleanup program. Speaker 2 estimated further investigation work could cost "probably another 150,000" and said the authority intends to pursue grants and brownfield incentives rather than pay that amount directly.
Speaker 2 also described an ongoing contracting dispute that is delaying final transfer of title: the contractor that removed tanks has been adding fees and has not finalized its final bill, which DEC and the controller's office have not yet cleared. "We've reached out to Egan; come on," Speaker 2 said, describing repeated outreach by the authority and by HRP to resolve the invoice so the county can take title and the town of Frankfort can begin reuse planning. Speaker 2 said if the current owner (identified in the transcript as Kinsella) cannot meet a DEC order to clean up the site, DEC could perform the work and place another lien on the property.
Authority members discussed remediation options including selling brownfield tax incentives to offset cleanup costs. Speaker 2 said interested buyers want more information about solvent areas before committing. The meeting recorded no formal vote on cleanup funding or contracts; decisions on specific remediation actions will depend on future investigations, grant approvals and any DEC orders.
Next steps described in the meeting: additional targeted investigations to define the footprint and depth of contamination, outreach to DEC and (transcript reference) federal environmental partners on funding, and efforts to resolve the contractor's outstanding bill so the authority can take title and proceed with redevelopment planning.
