Tuesday, March 9, 2004

Press project to start rebirth of EJ brownfield

$48M plant to be built in JC

BY JEFF PLATSKY
Press & Sun-Bulletin

A long-dormant Johnson City industrial site will be developed into a $48 million combined newspaper printing plant scheduled to open by late 2006, Press & Sun- Bulletin President and Publisher Bernard M. Griffin announced Monday.

The newspaper has selected the former Endicott Johnson Ranger-Paracord site as the location of a high-technology press that will serve Gannett Co.-owned publications in Binghamton, Elmira and Ithaca.

Griffin said site developer, Newman Development Group, will clean whatever tainted soil remains at the former shoe manufacturing site, readying the parcel for construction beginning in the fall.

"The Press & Sun-Bulletin has long championed community reinvestment, local business and job growth, and restoration of so-called brownfield sites," Griffin said. "This is an indication of putting that into action."

A brownfield is a former industrial site that may contain polluted soil. Griffin said that the Press & Sun-Bulletin has been assured by authorities and its own consultants that there is only minor soil contamination on the parcel.

Representatives of the Department of Environmental Conservation and the newspaper consultants believe the contamination can be removed easily as the land is prepared for development, said those involved in the deal.

"This will be a model for what a community should be doing with brownfield sites," said state Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton. "We are transforming a 27-acre brownfield into a useful, productive site."

The 96,000-square-foot building will house a state-of-the-art press that will print the Press & Sun- Bulletin of Binghamton, The Star-Gazette of Elmira and The Ithaca Journal. About 115 people will work at the site.

The building also will house distribution and paper storage facilities for the combined press operation. News, advertising and circulation staffs for the respective newspapers will remain at their current locations, Griffin said.

"Despite erroneous reports on Channel 12, the Press & Sun- Bulletin is not leaving the Vestal Parkway and we're not donating the property to Binghamton University," Griffin said.

Several locations in Broome and Tioga counties were considered for the new press, Griffin said. A proposal to build the new printing press at the current Press & Sun-Bulletin site was considered but was rejected after determining the property could not support the new building and still provide adequate parking for employees.

The Johnson City location was selected because of its proximity to entrance ramps to Route 17, which also will give the newspapers easy access to Interstate 81 and Interstate 88. Access to the highway system is deemed essential for efficient distribution of the three morning newspapers.

"I can't wait until they get the bulldozer in and they remove that eyesore," Johnson City Mayor Harry G. Lewis said of the proposed development, welcoming the demolition of the former shoe factory that was last used in 1993.

Griffin said the new building will include a six-story press partially enclosed in glass, which will allow the public to view the newspapers in production. Loading docks will be on the back of the property away from the residential neighborhood, Griffin said, to cause the least disturbance.

Lewis said he expects neighbors to welcome the development because the existing building has fallen into disrepair.

"I'm elated that they chose this site" Lewis said, adding that he expects quick approval of the site plans after a presentation tonight to the Planning Board.

Griffin said he hoped the reinvestment in the dormant industrial site would provide a catalyst for similar developments throughout Greater Binghamton, which has been promoting the recycling of vacated industrial parcels.

"We're going to have this world-class facility at a community gateway," Libous said. "To me it's a symbol of new life. It housed our past that no longer exists. This new facility paves the way to our future and takes us where we want to go."

The Press signed an agreement last October with Koenig & Bauer AG, based in Wurzburg, Germany, and York, Pa., to provide a full-color press. The press will have eight printing units capable of printing 80 pages at speeds of up to 75,000 copies per hour. The current Press & Sun-Bulletin press can print about 45,000 copies an hour.

The new press will be able to print full-color on virtually every page, Griffin said. Readers and advertisers will benefit from improved print quality, which will rival what is regularly seen in USA Today, he said. The new unit will replace a press built when the Press & Sun-Bulletin moved from downtown Binghamton to Vestal in 1965.

Griffin said the Press & Sun- Bulletin will look into government incentives for redeveloping brownfields.

The site of the proposed press project was recently acquired by an arm of the Newman Development Group. Newman had previously promoted an outlet mall at the site.

The press project will occupy about 12 acres of the 27-acre plot. Marc Newman, principal with the Newman Development Group, said plans have not been finalized for the remainder of the property. Newman said he has had several interested parties inquire about the site, including a hotel complex.

"This just shows what can be done with a brownfield and what the end result can be," Newman said. "I really think that when people see this people are going to realize the endless possibilities of brownfields."

The Fountains Pavilion, south of CFJ Park, will continue to operate under the current month-to-month lease arrangement, Newman said. CFJ Park is not part of the land acquired by Newman and will not be affected by development of the site.

Tuesday, March 9, 2004

Editorial: Good news

A newspaper is usually uncomfortable in the role of newsmaker, but when the news is this good, it's an easy transition.

Today's announcement of a brand new $48 million printing plant is good news indeed for the community -- and it's made all the sweeter because the plant will rise on an abandoned industrial site in Johnson City.

The Press & Sun-Bulletin and two other newspapers will be printed at the former Endicott Johnson Ranger-Paracord site, one of the region's "brownfield" sites.

This would be a welcome development no matter who was involved, but we're proud to be a pioneer of what we hope will become a trend. The 96,000-square-foot-building and 27-acre site redevelopment could attract other such projects.

Press & Sun-Bulletin Publisher and President Bernard M. Griffin noted that this newspaper "has long championed community reinvestment, local business and job growth, and restoration of so-called brownfield sites. This is an indication of putting that into action."

"This will be a model for what a community should be doing with brownfield sites," said state Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton.

Griffin said the site developer, Newman Development Group, will remove the old buildings and clean whatever tainted soil remains at the former shoe manufacturing site, at the newspaper's expense. The groundbreaking is scheduled this fall, and the facility is scheduled to open by late 2006. It will print not only the Press & Sun- Bulletin but two others owned by Gannett -- Elmira's Star-Gazette and the Ithaca Journal.

In addition to a six-story press partially enclosed in glass, which will allow the public to view the production, the facility also will house distribution and paper storage for the combined press operation, but editorial and advertising offices for the three newspapers will remain at their current locations.

The new press will replace one built in 1965 when the newspaper moved to the Vestal Parkway. It will be able to print full color on almost every page and will provide print quality that will rival that of USA Today.

The Press & Sun-Bulletin is marking its centennial this year, and there's no better reflection of the newspaper's commitment to the Greater Binghamton community than this project. It underscores our belief that the community's future can be as bright as its past -- and that we will be here to document the events of the coming century.

 

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

- Press plan may open economic door -

JC project could serve as catalyst

BY MY-LY NGUYEN
Press & Sun-Bulletin

JOHNSON CITY -- The $48 million newspaper printing plant planned near CFJ Park will enhance the community's image and could encourage more brownfield redevelopment projects in the region, economic development leader Richard D'Attilio said Tuesday.

New York State Electric & Gas representatives, from left, Bill English and Jim Reister, and Mark Freije of Matco Electric of Vestal walk the 27-acre site of the former Endicott Johnson Corp. Tuesday in Johnson City.

Photos by CHUCK HAUPT / Press & Sun-Bulletin

Workers with Gorick Construction Co. of Binghamton remove debris Tuesday from the former Endicott Johnson Corp. Ranger-Paracord building in Johnson City. Demolition work began to make way for the Press & Sun-Bulletin's new plant.

CHUCK HAUPT / Press & Sun-Bulletin

Workers with Gorick Construction Co. of Binghamton remove debris from the building.

"We may have a model we can replicate," said D'Attilio, Broome County Industrial Development Agency executive director. "We're going to be able to showcase this and show others that this can be done in the community."

Vestal-based Newman Development Group, which owns the site, has said it has not finalized plans for the rest of the property.

Platsky: Former industrial sites offer great potential for investors There may be new hope for the redevelopment of tainted former industrial sites that dot the Greater Binghamton landscape. JEFF PLATSKY Money Matters Discuss Platsky's ideas at Money Matters Forum Until recently, developers wouldn't even sniff around a pre-existing industrial site because of the hassles involved, and the potential cleanup liability was far too great. But there has been a significant breakthrough, and it could pave the way, once and for all, for the demolition of long-standing eyesores. The Press & Sun-Bulletin announced that it will build a $48 million printing press on the abandoned industrial location in Johnson City known as the Ranger-Paracord site. The significance of the announcement goes beyond that one site. The development could have a sizable impact on the commercial potential of several other properties in the region that have fallen idle and have attracted virtually no interest from developers. In the name of full disclosure, I work for the company that has proposed the press project on the blighted site. They pay me. Draw your own conclusion on whether I am biased. Nevertheless, the press project could set the stage for the development of several other community eyesores. "No doubt, the Ranger-Paracord site is the most significant brownfield site in Broome County," said Kenneth Kamlet, director of legal affairs for the Newman Development Group, the Vestal developer preparing the site for the Press. "Redevelopment of that represents a major new beginning." But more than redevelopment of a previously tainted industrial site, the deal represents the first time the previous owners, which could be traced back to the former Endicott Johnson Corp. owners, Hanson PLC, have indicated a genuine willingness to work with developers to see that their dormant assets are now put to good use. Marc Newman, principal with Newman Development Group, said there has been a clear change in attitude at MHC Inc. And that is most welcome to Newman, who had previously attempted to build an outlet mall on the 27-acre site but was thwarted when the owner placed several obstacles in his way to limit their own liability in any potential chemical-contamination suit. "There were two abortive attempts to consummate a deal with MHC before this deal was made and succeeded," Kamlet said. "There's been a very dramatic change in attitude at MHC." Now there's a road map for others to follow in developing other long dormant Endicott Johnson properties that continue to waste away and are nothing more than a drag on the regional economy. Kamlet is quick to note, however, that the priority in each potential brownfield deal is the desirability of the real estate. The Press site is at the foot of exit 71 on Route 17, giving owners quick and easy access to the highway system. That may not necessarily be the case with other brownfield sites, Kamlet said. The access made the Johnson City site ideal for redevelopment, he said. "A brownfield project has to be viewed primarily as a real estate deal," Kamlet said. "The real estate has to be attractive to the developer." And while the Anitec site on Charles Street in Binghamton's First Ward is also a brownfield ready for development, there are factors that have dampened interest in the 33-acre site, not the least of which is the relatively poor access to Route 17, Kamlet said. There is a message in the redevelopment of the former shoe manufacturing site. With cooperation and with clear directives from state regulators, there's great potential in former industrial sites. It's potential can be tapped by those with vision, those with principles and those with a commitment to make a difference. Platsky is business editor of the Press & Sun-Bulletin.