GM site's future to be aired in weeks

MASSENA — The fate of the shuttered General Motors Powertrain plant is still up in the air, but the decision on whether to demolish the 50-year-old auto plant should be made in a matter of weeks, according to a project manager for the plant's owner, Motors Liquidation Corp.

MLC Project Manager Pamela L. Barnett met Thursday with the North Country Redevelopment Task Force to provide an update on the liquidation firm's stance on the future of the 50-year-old facility and to answer questions about marketing, remediation and redevelopment efforts at the site.

Ms. Barnett said the firm is still exploring its options, which include leaving the structures standing and continuing the search for a buyer, taking down the most polluted sections of the plant and leaving some structures standing for possible development or completely demolishing the 900,000-square-foot factory.

"I know you're all interested about the decision on the demolition of the building, but that decision has not been made as of yet," she said. "We're still exploring all options and working with all the stakeholders involved."

The spokeswoman did confirm that a meeting was held at the plant in late February between MLC officials and several contractors who specialize in demolition, but characterized the session as a "scoping meeting" that allowed professionals to take a thorough look at the buildings in order to prepare estimates for razing the structures.

Local officials had been told bids for demolition had been solicited at that session, but Ms. Barnett said the MLC has not yet released a formal request for bids, which it would do within the next few weeks if the decision is made to knock down the buildings. She declined to say which firms participated in the session or whether any of the companies given the demolition tour were from the north country.

"MLC would be interested in using local workers," she said. "As far as any local contracting, it's going to have to be a company that is qualified for the task at hand. But MLC has not yet made the decision to demolish the buildings, so it's really too soon to talk about specifics."

Environmental Protection Agency Project Manager Anne E. Kelly said that in addition to being qualified to perform demolition work, contractors who perform any of the remediation at the site would need the proper credentials to work with contaminated materials. The site is a federally designated Superfund site with extensive polychlorinated biphenyl contamination, as well as lead and asbestos concerns.