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August 3, 2009

PARC will get title to final lots

By DAN HEATH

PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corp. has finally been cleared to receive title to the last 540 acres of property still under U.S. Air Force control.

The deed transfers are now possible under what’s called a Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer.

That needed approval by the Air Force Real Property Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Health and New York Gov. David Paterson.

“This was an important milestone for us,” said PARC CEO Bruce Steadman.



MOST SET FOR SALE

The transfer covers 33 parcels, with 28 of those already obligated for sale. There is one small parcel that may need a deed transfer in a month or so, Steadman said.

Those sales will bring PARC about $5 million in revenue, which it will use to finish projects and pay mortgages and operating costs.

The process took six years, Steadman said, and was completed about two years later than initially anticipated.



AIR FORCE CLEANUP

The Air Force transfers most property under a Finding of Suitability to Transfer, which involves the same parties as the Early Transfer. That was not possible in this case due to environmental issues under portions of the affected parcels.

The Air Force is responsible for ensuring the environmental cleanup is completed.

The contamination largely stems from hundreds of underground petroleum storage tanks removed from the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base property in the 1990s.

There is also a plume of contaminated groundwater under the flightline from a old fire training pit. It is being contained and cleaned by a $15 million system of trenches, pumps and treatment plant.

“We have been working the environmental issues at Plattsburgh and making tremendous progress,” Air Force Real Property Agency Base Realignment and Closure Environmental Coordinator for Plattsburgh David Farnsworth said in a news release.

“The community has been pleased with the results, and the Air Force will continue to be a presence in Plattsburgh until the environmental sites are cleaned out.”



RESTRICTIONS

The Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer contains stipulations on how the affected properties can be used. They include prohibitions on drilling drinking-water wells and what to do if digging results in signs of contamination.

“We don’t expect those stipulations will affect PARC and future property owners from being able to sell those properties,” Steadman said.



WORKING TOGETHER

The process requires the transfer be made to a government entity, which PARC is not. For that reason, the decision was made locally to make the transfers through the County of Clinton Industrial Development Agency.

The property-transfer process at other former bases has sometimes been contentious, Steadman said, but the parties involved in the process in Plattsburgh have prevented that from happening.

He said IDA Executive Director Adoré Flynn Kurtz, the IDA Board of Directors and its legal team have performed the due diligence for the transfers but have never been a detriment.

He also cited as excellent partners Steve Gagnier, who manages the Plattsburgh site for the Air Force Real Property Agency; Mike Sorel, his predecessor; Farnsworth; and Dexter Cochnauer and Steve TerMaath of the agency’s San Antonio office.

A number of the area’s state and federal legislators also played key roles, Steadman said, including U.S. Rep. John McHugh, State Sen. Betty Little and State Assemblywomen Janet Duprey and Teresa Sayward.

Duprey said her role was to help contact the right people to get the paperwork approved by the Governor’s Office.

“We were able to keep it moving and get it done. I’m glad to have been able to help them.”

Bob Morse of the EPA and Dan Eaton of DEC have also been important parts of the team, Steadman said, as have Marty Mack and Judith Enck of Gov. David Paterson’s office.



END OF PARC

Steadman said PARC has an internal timeline on when it could go out of business but it depends on sales and revenues.

PARC has 10 parcels available, including the former Base Hospital property, the PARC conference center, the Central Heating Plant property, lots along Arizona Avenue and some on Connecticut Avenue.

“This last deed allows us to concentrate on getting these closings done, market the last 10 parcels and then implement our closure plan,” Steadman said.

“If things go the way we planned, I think next June will be time to turn the lights off.”



E-mail Dan Heath at:

dheath@pressrepublican.com

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