By JIMMY LAWTON

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County recently took a step toward foreclosing on a Massena dry cleaning business that owes more than $850,000 in back taxes, interest and fees.

The county recently entered  into an agreement that would allow for an environmental investigation at Cornell’s Dry Cleaning Corporation, 141 Water Street, to ensure taxpayers would not be taking control of contaminated property that could be costly to cleanup.

According to the resolution, $307,854 in back taxes are owed on the process with an additional $549,333 owed in fees, penalties and interest, for a total of $857,187.

“Cornell’s Dry Cleaning Corporation property is a brick and metal commercial building with an active laundering business located on approximately one acre of land in the Village of Massena and believed to be potentially contaminated,” the resolution says. “The county desires to have and environmental investigation conducted on the Cornell Site to obtain information about the environmental conditions, including the nature and extent of any discovered contamination so that the county can make an informed decision concerning the property prior to a judgment of foreclosure being entered.”

In order to avoid litigation between the county and the business, an agreement between Cornell’s and the County is necessary to allow access to the site, according to the resolution. An agreement of this nature would allow the county to determine any potential environmental liability associated with site before taking control of the property.

Details on the agreement were not included in the resolution. The business is currently in operation, despite the substantial amount of money owed to the county.