The Cayuga County Legislature on Oct. 20 authorized staff to begin a process to clear and evaluate the County Office Building at 160 Genesee Street after a substance later determined to be vermiculite was found there in May 2024.

Legislator Ben Vitale introduced a resolution directing the chair of the legislature, in collaboration with the county attorney and the county purchasing director, to request proposals to coordinate retrieval of personal belongings for current, past and retired employees, to identify and remove historical and confidential materials, and to solicit options including the potential sale of the building so the county can weigh future options.

The resolution text recites that the building was vacated after the discovery on May 29, 2024, and that remediation plans are being developed with environmental consultants in accordance with New York State Department of Labor asbestos-related requirements. Vitale said the goal was to “get this moving” so personal property is no longer held in limbo and so the county can properly evaluate remediation, renovation or other options.

Legislator Hans (surname not specified in the transcript) asked for cost detail; Vitale and other legislators said the resolution only authorizes soliciting proposals and does not approve remediation or spending. Several legislators and staff said a Request for Proposals (RFP) process would preserve the county’s control over potential proposals and would return exact costs and options to the legislature before any work is authorized.

County staff and legislators discussed logistics that would need to be covered in an RFP: how to handle filing cabinets and archived records, consulting with environmental engineers about which contents require abatement, and coordinating with employees so they can retrieve belongings. Amanda O’Grady (referred to in the discussion as staff involved with purchasing/bids) said she expects to have a bid prepared for review and that a meeting was scheduled to coordinate next steps.

Legislators agreed the building’s contents must be cleared regardless of whether the county ultimately remediates and reoccupies the building or pursues other options, and they directed that the draft resolution be adjusted by the county attorney and purchasing staff as needed and brought forward to Ways and Means for the next steps. No contract awards or remediation work were approved by this motion; the action authorizes the administration to begin the RFP/procurement process and return specific proposals and cost estimates to the legislature.

The resolution cites the county’s work with environmental consultants and references compliance with New York State Department of Labor asbestos standards; the legislature did not adopt any remediation plan or budget as part of the authorization.

Next steps: staff will refine the RFP language with the county attorney, post it to solicit proposals for (a) coordinating retrieval of personal property, (b) identification/removal of historical/confidential materials, (c) removal of remaining fixtures and (d) proposals that would allow the county to evaluate sale or other dispositions. The item was scheduled to be routed to Ways and Means for formal consideration of any resulting proposals and cost estimates.