BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA — Atlantic Testing Laboratories has been hired to monitor air quality of the former Massena Business School as the building is torn down to make way for a new green space and river walk. 

The news came from the St. Lawrence County IDA as the organization recently approved the contract for the work. 

The project, part of the village’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, is one of nine projects to receive a portion of the $10 million award. 

Village officials have said the project will assist in tying together the downtown walking paths, making it easier for residents and visitors alike to access a planned riverwalk. 

Once complete, the facade of the building will remain, with work to be completed to ensure the structure is safe. 

Village and IDA officials both previously said the roof of the building has collapsed, rendering the structure unsafe to enter. 

As part of the project, asbestos sampling and abatement activities will be needed, however with the roof in disrepair, that part of the project will be difficult. 

Instead, Atlantic Testing will be onsite during the demolition process to ensure the demolition does not negatively impact the air quality of the surrounding area, officials said. 

Samples will be taken daily to ensure there are no elevated asbestos levels, IDA CEO Patrick Kelly said. 

The project is expected to cost $1.9 million from the DRI. Atlantic Testing will receive $23,071 from the IDA for services rendered for the project. 

Bids for demolition will be due by Oct. 1, with a bid expected to be awarded sometime in October. Demolition work should be complete by the end of the year, officials said. 

The facade project will be the first major project to break ground in a public manner, though Mayor Greg Paquin recently said multiple projects are well under way with significant work being completed. 

“As I’ve been saying since we received the award in 2021, it’s a long process and it will take years before the bulk of the work is underway and we really start to see the progress. But I can tell you, there has been a ton of work already underway behind the scenes and a lot more planned for the near future,” he previously said. 

Village Administrator Monique Chatland also spoke to the work schedules, saying many projects that were awarded funds have already begun but the work is not noticeable to the public just yet. 

“There is a lot of work being conducted behind the scenes. The former J.J. Newberry project is one that has received a lot of grant funding aside from the DRI. A lot of steps need to be completed first, from structural reviews to asbestos abatement, planning reviews, bids for demolition and construction and that sort of thing. It’s an extensive process to break ground on projects,” she previously said. 

Village officials recently said they hope to see some projects in progress by summer 2025, though no set timetables have been established just yet.