A state inspector has halted demolition activity at a former NYSEG generating plant in the town of Union as an investigation is launched into possible criminal activity at the site.

A warning notice posted at the old Goudey Station property on Riverside Drive just outside Johnson City states an asbestos project has been suspended. The sign was placed there by a safety and health inspector with the Department of Labor's asbestos control bureau.

Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News
A notice attached to a fence at the former Goudey Station generating plant on March 8, 2023. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
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The inspector named on the notice did not respond to messages left at his Syracuse office or on his cellphone.

Town of Union Supervisor Robert Mack told WNBF News code enforcement officials recently discovered workers stripping metal from the closed generating facility. He said they apparently were on the site illegally.

Mack said the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the federal Environmental Protection Agency were notified of the activity at the former NYSEG plant.

A scrawled message on a building at the former Goudey Station site. Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News
A scrawled message on a building at the former Goudey Station site. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
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The town supervisor said those who were working at the site apparently had been told by the people who hired them that they had obtained permission to remove the scrap metal.

Mack said he had been advised the workers were not wearing protective suits as they peeled asbestos off pipes to gain access to the metal. He said those directing the operation apparently wanted to strip the metal with no concern about the hazardous materials at the site and no concern for the safety of those doing the work.

Mack said similar illegal activity has been discovered at other sites across the country. He did not know what action state and federal agencies may be contemplating in connection with the Goudey Station property.

Debris filled an old guard shack at the former generating plant in Westover on March 8, 2023. Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News
Debris filled an old guard shack at the former generating plant in Westover on March 8, 2023. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
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Public records indicate the property was acquired by NRGY Development LLC of Florida last July for $400,000.

Demolition work started at the site in 2021 after a Massachusetts-based entity bought the property with plans for development of a solar farm.

Last year, police reported at least two fires had been started at the site by people who were trying to remove scrap metal.

Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News (file)
The old coal-fired generating plant off Riverside Drive was owned for a time by GMMM Westover LLC. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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