The Ithaca, New York Common Council has voted 7-2 in favor of reallocating funds to finance the remainder of the cleanup at the former Ithaca Gun site. $840,000 will be reallocated from other project funds to help clean up the site. Work on cleaning up the demolition debris was stalled when the developers ran out of money to pay the contractors. Due to surprises like unexpectedly long period of asbestos abatement and other cost overruns totaling nearly $1 million, the developers were forced to stop work at the site. Asbestos removal is important, and required by law, because asbestos exposure is linked to mesothelioma and other respiratory conditions.

Developer Frost Travis and project engineer Pete Grevelding was the subject of intense scrutiny at the meeting. The money for the project comes from a $2.3 million state Restore NY grant. That money was divided into two parcels. $1.46 million was designated for Phase 1, which included demolition and cleanup. The remaining $840,000 was intended for Phase 2 redevelopment. The factory has been demolished and asbestos removed, but much of the debris still needs to be removed from the site.

Alderman Dan Cogan was a little suspicious of the developer’s motives. "I find it a little strange that the projected cost overrun is exactly the amount of the Phase 2 Restore NY grant," he said. The developer responded that using that money was simply the fastest way to get the project completed.

Community Advisory Group member Walter Hang sent a letter to Edwin Lee, senior project manager for Loans and Grants with the New York State Development Corp., which is the organization that runs the Restore NY program. "I am incredulous that your agency could simply give $840,000 to a project that is more than a year overdue and nearly one million dollars over budget without conducting open and transparent due diligence on behalf of New York state taxpayers," he wrote.

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