Camillus Mills developer doesn’t want to let fire burn its plans

CAMILLUS  —  The developer attempting to turn the former Camillus Cutlery Co. plant into a mixed-use medical center says a Feb. 11 fire that leveled half the facility won’t prevent planned renovations.

And the project’s completion date may not even have to be moved back, according to Roy Brunner, executive vice president of Skaneateles–based Sweet Spot Cos.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty we plan to move forward with the project as planned,” Brunner says. “The fire is going to create complications for us because you had an orderly demolition planned that included some environmental remediation work, and now we’ve got to bring people in to look at all the materials on the ground.”

Fire broke out at the site at 52-54 Genesee St. in the afternoon of Feb. 11 when a contractor cutting metal ignited materials inside a building, he continues. The contractor, who Brunner did not name, was removing scrap metal from a portion of the building scheduled to be demolished.

The fire burned for hours, and demolition crews had to be brought in to knock down a portion of the facility. Scanlon Trucking & Excavating of Marcellus and Lake Country Construction of Skaneateles responded to calls for excavators on the night of the fire, Brunner says.

About 90,000 square feet of the plant running along Nine Mile Creek had to be torn down. Sweet Spot Cos. had planned to demolish the buildings making up that space, though. Another portion of the Camillus Cutlery plant, a 45,000-square-foot portion set for renovation, was spared.

“The building that is planned to be rehabilitated was saved,” Brunner says. “There was some water damage inside as a result of the firefighters wetting the roof down to prevent the fire from spreading. But it was nothing catastrophic. We’re preparing to be under way construction-wise later this year.”

Sweet Spot Cos. originally wanted to move tenants into the renovated facility, which it plans to call Camillus Mills, in the summer or fall of this year. About 5,000 square feet of the facility are slated to become one- and two-bedroom apartments. The remaining 40,000 square feet are set to be office space.

No hard date is in place for the start of renovations, according to Brunner. Sweet Spot Cos. has yet to select a general contractor for the project, which it estimates will cost $8.8 million. Brunner doesn’t believe the fire will cause any significant changes in the cost of the work.

However, he admits all of the impacts of the fire have yet to be felt. Sweet Spot Cos. principal Tom Blair is in the process of meeting with insurance adjusters.

“Stay tuned because there could be complications that we’re not anticipating,” Brunner says.

Sweet Spot Cos. acquired the plant in a 2011 property auction. It officially closed on a deal to purchase it from Texas–based Green Leaf Holdings I LLC in May of 2012 for $231,000. The factory has been shuttered since 2007.

Sweet Spot, headquartered at 3895 Fennel St. in Skaneateles, had lined up a $2.5 million Restore New York grant to use toward its renovations. It also planned to use bank financing and private investment from the Camillus Cutlery building’s future medical tenants.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com