National Grid awards brownfield-remediation grant to Camillus Mills

CAMILLUS — National Grid today announced a grant of $300,000 that Camillus Mills will use for brownfield redevelopment at the former Camillus Cutlery factory in the village of Camillus.

The grant will help pay for remediation and redevelopment costs at the site, located at 52 and 54 Main St. in the village.

A brownfield is any real property where redevelopment or re-use may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous waste, petroleum, pollutant, or contaminant, as defined by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Camillus Mills is expected to become a mixed-use facility featuring medical-wellness office space, support services, eateries, a spa, and upscale apartments.

The first tenants are expected to move in the summer of 2014 and the medical practices are projected to employ about 90 people, according to the utility.

“The Camillus Mills project is an excellent example of how National Grid can help a community transform a former Brownfield site into mixed-use space especially one that will contain health and wellness facilities,” Kenneth Daly, president of National Grid, New York, said in a news release.

At the same time, Sweet Spot Development of Skaneateles today announced the awarding of more than $5 million in construction contracts for the Camillus Mills project to Parsons-McKenna Construction Co. of Salina.

The work will include oversight of debris removal and site cleanup following the February fire, which led to the razing of nearly 80,000 square feet of vacant buildings on the site, according to Sweet Spot Development.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com