BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA — St. Lawrence County has received over $386,000 in back taxes for the Quality Inn property, located in the village of Massena, where the property owner intends to house migrants from New York City.

St. Lawrence County Attorney Steve Button confirmed to North Country This Week the property is constructively redeemed, however the delinquency was paid by the mortgage company and not by property owner Gary Melius.

Had the payment for taxes, water, sewer and school taxes not been paid by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 10, the county would have foreclosed on the property and sent it to auction in September.

Button said the lien holder making the payment on Melius’ behalf is the preliminary step for them to protect the asset and decide whether to foreclose on the mortgage.

Melius also owns and operates the historic Oheka Castle, a large hotel and catering hall he described as a “wedding destination” in a New York Post story.

That property, located in Huntington, Long Island, will not be offered as a potential shelter for Migrants, Melius told the Post.

Massena Village Mayor Greg Paquin said the situation is one that the village is not capable of handling, saying there simply would not be enough resources to assist migrants along with Massena residents who need it.

“We would all be setup for failure. The migrants and village both would be setup for failure and I think the state knows that,” he said.

Paquin questioned how the migrants would also be able to get to Canton, where the Department of Social Services and other county departments would have to assist the migrants.

“We have no transit system to get them to Canton. Let alone in the winter months, which complicates things further. We simply do not have the infrastructure to support them. It’s an unfortunate situation but I think state officials know that there are better options to assist them,” Paquin said.

Though community concern has increased in recent days, Paquin said there is zero chance of events transpiring as Melius insists they will.

“We have heard nothing from the state about housing migrants here and we would be given ample notice if it was even being considered. I just ask that everyone take a deep breath right now. There is no chance that this is going to happen. The state knows we would all be setup for failure if it did and I’m sure Mayor (Eric) Adams, along with state and city officials, are well aware of that,” Paquin said.

Though state officials who are handling the situation have not reached out to village officials, Paquin did note that Assemblyman Scott Gray has reached out and voiced his support for Massena.

“Assemblyman Gray said he will carry out a message into the Assembly and said he will do everything he can to assist us with the situation,” Paquin said.

Paquin also questioned Melius’ business practices, pointing out that the Oheka Castle property is also in foreclosure as of press time.

“I think if folks did even a little research into his business practices, they would find that they are questionable at best,” Paquin said.

Massena Village Administrator Monique Chatland said Melius has had zero contact with village officials concerning the situation.

Chatland also said the situation is one that is largely out of the control of village officials, as the property is a private business that is following local regulations.

“We have received a number of calls from concerned residents the last few days. We have been recommending everyone also reach out to state and federal officials to voice their concerns about the situation,” Chatland said.

Massena Town Supervisor Sue Bellor also raised a number of concerns, saying the town and village are not equipped to assist a large influx of migrants whose needs will be extensive.

“While I understand that the migrants are in a challenging situation in the large cities, how will the situation be improved in a small village in a small town without any municipal transportation and with limited healthcare,” Bellor asked.

In a Post story, Melius said his centrally located hotel is within walking distance to schools, grocery stores and a hospital, saying it was an “ideal situation for everyone.”

Public transit, though available, is severely limited in scope and would not benefit migrants without transportation, officials said.

“And then we have the concerns of the winter months, which they will not be equipped for. It just complicates things further,” Paquin said.

In recent years, Massena Hospital has seen services limited or cut as part of a re-designation as a critical access hospital. Services cut include birthing services, the intensive care unit, as well as a walk-in clinic.

Birthing services are available at Canton-Potsdam Hospital, which is over 21 miles away but with no public transit system to transport migrants, the ability to receive healthcare services will be limited, town and village officials said.

The closest grocery store is Price Chopper, which is a two mile round-trip, with Wal-Mart being even further away at nearly three miles round-trip.

“I think it’s obvious that he (Melius) has probably never been to Massena,” Paquin said.

Attempts to reach Melius for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.