Source: Watertown Daily Times (NY), October 10, 2015
Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com
Mark C. Hall said he believes it will take at least another decade before all of the concrete buildings are torn down at the defunct Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.
Still, he described last week’s demolition of the first building as a monumental step for a community that was left with a contaminated eyesore when the 54-acre iron ore plant shut down in 1977.
“That building coming down was a milestone because it was tangible,” Mr. Hall said. “We have lost opportunities in the past because the site was not ready for redevelopment.”
After three days of demolition, the debris was hauled away to the Development Authority of the North Country landfill in Rodman, Jefferson County.
Mr. Hall, a longtime Star Lake resident and former town of Fine supervisor, has been involved for decades with community efforts to get the buildings razed so the site can be redeveloped. He now serves on the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency board, which has obtained grant funding to redevelop site.
The former J&L site, 4669 Route 3, town of Clifton, is among a limited number of parcels in the Adirondack Park where industrial operations are allowed. The industrial classification by the Adirondack Park Agency makes the property a valuable asset for the neighboring towns of Clifton and Fine.
“Being classified as industrial, which is the least restrictive, is a very important resource for us to have,” said Christopher L. Westbrook, president of the Clifton-Fine Economic Development Corp.
The ultimate goal is to bring much-needed jobs to the remote southeastern part of the county, which also suffered the loss of the Newton Falls Paper Mill, which permanently closed in 2010.
Mr. Hall remembers the J&L plant’s heyday when about 1,200 employees worked at the site, and 1.8 million tons of iron ore were sent off each year by rail to Pittsburgh. His father worked at the plant as an electrician for more than 30 years.
Efforts to redevelop the property were complicated in the early 1990s after the state Department of Environmental Conservation learned of an oil spill from the plant that leaked into the Little River, a tributary of the Oswegatchie River. The DEC has since pumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil from the site.
Last year, the federal Environmental Protection Agency came on site for cleanup. One EPA team has been focusing on removing oil from the site while another has focused on removing asbestos from the buildings.
The structure that was torn down last week was deemed unsafe to enter.
Mr. Hall said engineering specifications for demolition will be developed at an estimated cost of $175,000. The county IDA committed $87,500 toward the work and hired the Development Authority of the North Country to manage the project. Grant funding from several sources provided the remaining half, including $50,000 in state funding secured by state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome.
“That will give us the documentation we need to get funding for actual demolition,” Mr. Hall said.
The community will seek funding through the Consolidated Funding Application process and other grants to pay for the demolition.
Mr. Westbrook said he is hopeful that eventually some type of “value-added” lumber facility, such as a furniture manufacturer, will be interested in the site. The area has easy access to timber and water and the county’s IDA is working to revive the area’s rail service. The IDA secured a $9.9 million grant from the state in 2012 to rebuild the line, which is owned by the IDA and operated by Mohawk, Adirondack and Northern Railroad Corp., from Newton Falls to Carthage.
“We want to do whatever we can to bring back productive use of that site and create a more vibrant community,” he said.
After receiving a release from liability from the state, St. Lawrence County took title to the J&L site last year. There are 18 acres of uncontaminated property divided into three parcels that can be redeveloped. Earlier this year the county agreed to provide an easement to the town of Clifton that allowed a boat washing station to be installed on part of the parcel. Remaining are two 6-acre parcels that can be developed.
Mr. Hall said area residents hope that redeveloping the J&L site will help revive the region’s flagging economy and reverse its population decline.
“We’d love to revive the economy that was once here. Clifton-Fine used to be one of the wealthiest areas in St. Lawrence County,” Mr. Hall said. “We have to get a shovel-ready site before we can get any businesses in there.”