Ground breaking on the Athenex location has been delayed until the first of the year. However, activity continues at the location to prepare for the groundbreaking. P-J file photo

DUNKIRK — An official Athenex ground breaking may have to wait, but progress on the Lake Shore Drive site is ongoing.

According the Dunkirk Town Supervisor Richard Purol, he found out about the delay at a meeting last week.

“The groundbreaking has been delayed until the first of the year unless something changes,” he explained at the Chadwick Bay Regional Development Corporation meeting.

However, Purol said that doesn’t mean things are quiet at the cancer drug plant’s chosen site.

“There’s a lot going on there,” Purol added.

He said brush has been cleared from the 33 acres and trees will begin coming down Oct. 1. They have also begun soil borings to determine the best conditions for building.

An asbestos survey of the three buildings has been completed and Athenex officials are awaiting results, Purol said.

“As soon as that’s done, then they’ll let us know how much it is to take them down. Then I think they’re going to release them to the fire department and the police (for training) … You can’t light them up, but they’re completely dark, you can put a flashlight cone in there and it’ll look just like a fire and use that chemical smoke. No one gets hurt and everyone gets training. That’s what we’re looking at before they tear them down,” he added.

Purol said a solution for electricity — hooking into Purina’s dedicated line and running it over the railroad tracks — and a 12-inch waterline have been sorted out. The waterline goes through a yard and past Great Lakes and to the former Tru Temper.

“I asked if they could get it out to the road so that after Sheridan puts in another 12-inch line going from Herrington to the conference grounds — we’re stuck with an eight (inch), so eventually we’re going to (replace it). Randy (Woodbury, City of Dunkirk Department of Public Works director) said let’s hook up to the eight anyway, that way you’ll always have water running to that plant,” Purol said.

Not quite set are zoning variances required by changes in the building plans, according to Purol.

“I know they want to put a six-foot fence up. Anything more than that and they’ll need a variance. They already changed the design of the building three times. It was going to be 40-foot tall, now it’s going to be 50, so they’re going to need a variance for that because that’s what our book says,” he said.

He noted the entrance has changed several time as well and will now go through where the ‘chicken coop’ building is located in order to accommodate a blind hill in the road as well as wetlands.

The Dunkirk Town Board will meet on Tuesday.