TOWN OF ULSTER – Those giant mounds of asbestos at iPark 87, a former IBM facility, are no more.
“The noticeable absence of asbestos piles also feels very good,” said Congressman Pat Ryan (D, NY-19).
The expedited removal of the toxic substance was the topic of a tour and press conference Friday with Ryan and Michael Regan, the EPA administrator.
“Today we are here to celebrate the progress of a cleanup project that has been years in the making,” said Regan.
The former owner, Tech City, demolished a building in 2015 and then improperly stored asbestos outdoors, in which mounds of the toxin, used for insulation, brake pads and siding, sat waiting for six years until it was recently removed.
“A site, which once housed the area’s largest employer, turned into an economic and environmental liability seemingly overnight,” said Regan.
National Resources now owns the site, and the asbestos removal now allows the company to turn the campus, which straddles Enterprise Drive, into a mixed-use development for business and residential uses over the next five to10 years.
