National Pipe and Plastics will demolish an abandoned factory near its facility in West Endicott, N.Y., and build a new headquarters there.
Based in nearby Vestal, N.Y., the PVC and high density polyethylene pipe producer bought the 95-year-old, 171,000-square-foot facility for $100,000 from Broome County, which had foreclosed on the property that once housed the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co.
The sale still needs final approval from the Broome County Legislature but local officials already are celebrating plans to raze one of the most talked-about properties in the county.
“It's a massive eyesore.” Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said in a June 6 news release. “Every week, someone asks me when it's going to be demolished and today I am proud to officially announce that's soon going to happen.”
Garner thanked National Pipe and Plastics' legal team for working for years with the county to clean up the area, which is technically in the Town of Union. The county had taken the former shoe factory property for back taxes in May 2016.
The deteriorated building, which is considered unsafe and unsightly, sits adjacent to West Endicott Park, and poses a risk for neighborhood children, according to local officials.
National Pipe's future HQ will include green space and parking for West Endicott Park and a land donation to the Town of Union, which owns the recreation area.
The manufacturer also has been a subject of residential complaints about noise, odor and truck traffic
With estimated sales of $220 million, National Pipe ranks 18th among North American pipe, profile and tubing extruders, according to Plastics News' rankings.