By DAN HEATH
Staff Writer
PLATTSBURGH — Several companies have expressed interest in shared use of the animal-testing facilities at the Pfizer plant in Chazy.
At the Pfizer Transition Coordinating Council meeting Wednesday, Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said the queries are mainly from companies in Quebec.
He said Jones Lang LaSalle, an international firm that specializes in commercial real-estate services, is open to finding one buyer that would allow multiple tenants.
Douglas said the firm is marketing both the Chazy and Rouses Point Chemical Development properties. A meeting with Jones Lang LaSalle's Montreal team is scheduled for next week.
"We are really now in a real-estate marketing mode on both sites," Douglas said.
STATE STILL INVOLVED
County of Clinton Industrial Development Agency Executive Director Adoré Flynn Kurtz said her office remains in contact with Empire State Development. She said they have continued to provide serious attention to the issues faced in Chazy and Rouses Point.
"I think we're all a little disappointed the early interest didn't lead to a home run," she said.
David Champagne, managing director of Pfizer's Rouses Point manufacturing facility, said there has been interest.
"There is some hope and optimism it will be successful in the end."
MORE LAYOFFS
Kent Eldridge, human-resources director for Pfizer in Rouses Point, said the next round of layoffs in Rouses Point and Chazy will take place Sept. 24.
Fourteen people will be let go at Chazy, which will leave 36 people there, mainly to provide facility upkeep. Most of those are expected to be let go at the end of the year.
At the Chemical Development Facility in Rouses Point, 20 employees will lose their jobs on the 24th. That will leave 54 employees, with 11 more to be let go by the end of the year and the last 43 in the first quarter of 2011.
The 11 employees left in Plattsburgh will lose their jobs Nov. 11.
"These are all as planned. Nothing has been accelerated," Eldridge said.
GRANT SECURED
Rick Leibowitz, regional director of the North Country Small-Business Development Center, said they are getting a U.S. Small Business Administration Portability Grant of $53,805.
"We heard in August that we did receive one of 11 awards in the country and the only one in New York state."
He expects the grant to arrive by the end of the month. Possible uses include development of a tool to help people assess the feasibility of their business plan and create a website and other marketing ventures to be used across the border.
Leibowitz said the Small-Business Development Center has been told it can hire a temporary worker for six months to help with those efforts.
WORKER RE-TRAINING
North Country Workforce Investment Board Executive Director Paul Grasso said 91 of the 201 Pfizer employees eligible for Trade Adjustment Act assistance are enrolled in training.
There is some concern about the $15,000 cap on benefits under that program and about rules that prevent people from using their own money to augment that amount. Grasso said he believes that using their own funds would give the workers extra incentive.
He plans to contact some Vermont officials who seem to have found a way to get additional funding included.
PFIZER DONATIONS
United Way of the Adirondack Region Executive Director John Bernardi said Pfizer continues to make many donations to local communities as it phases out its operations.
The United Way is acting as a broker as Pfizer gives away thousands of pieces of equipment, such as desks, tables and chairs.
"These are very useful items. I know schools have benefited greatly, as have a number of non-profits," Bernardi said.
Those interested should contact the United Way at 563-0028.
NEXT MEETING
The next Pfizer transition Coordinating Council meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce.
E-mail Dan Heath at:
dheath@pressrepublican.com
