Board discusses potential redevelopment of Masonic building after environmental testing and grants
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Summary
Members discussed a potential sale or redevelopment of the Masonic building, reported contamination testing that found chlorinated solvents and a pool on the property, and cited grant funding to support investigation and cleanup. The board said DEC and EPA will be involved and the matter will return after public hearing.
An unidentified speaker at the meeting said the board is exploring redevelopment options for the Masonic building after recent environmental testing found contaminants on the site.
The speaker said the board has a purchase-sale agreement with an interested developer and is considering allowing a developer to rehabilitate the property and rent space back to the board. “We have 3,000,000 of grants here in Masonic,” the speaker said, and added the board had received a smaller investigative grant (stated in the meeting as 7,300) to fund testing. The speaker said testing has identified chlorinated solvents and a pool behind the building and that further investigation will guide next steps.
Why it matters: the building is a real estate asset that may require hazardous-materials remediation before redevelopment; decisions will affect future use, public liability, and whether public funds are used for cleanup. Board members said the issue will return for formal consideration after the public hearing and additional testing.
Details from the meeting: members discussed coordinating with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on remediation and compliance; the transcript records the board saying it will “work with the DEC and EPA on saving that up, saving that out of here.” A speaker described a purchase-sale agreement already in place and said additional testing was underway because of the solvents discovery.
The transcript records the amounts discussed as spoken at the meeting: a larger set of grants described as “3,000,000” for the Masonic site and a smaller grant stated as “7,300” to support investigation. Those figures were provided orally during discussion and were not broken down or confirmed in committee documents included in the transcript.
What happens next: the board said the item will come back after public hearing and when testing and agency coordination have produced clearer remediation options. The meeting then moved on to other business.
