BIG FLATS, N.Y. (WENY) -- Some community members in the town of Big Flats say they're concerned about possible contamination at the site for the new Soaring Heights Landing Apartment Project. On Wednesday, they called on the town board to pause any further developments on the project.

"And quite honestly, it's irrefutable evidence that that property is contaminated," said Shannon Keach, a coordinator with Big Flats Defenders. "It needs to be comprehensively investigated and remediated."

The Big Flats Defenders are a newly formed environmental conservation coalition. Several members that attended the meeting claim the property at the former Agway facility is not safe for development. They alleged there's hazardous waste on or around the property, and it shouldn't be the site of new apartments without appropriate cleanup.

The group referenced two reports from 1959 and 1995. Those reports said public water systems in the area had elevated levels of nitrates from fertilizer from the former Agway plant. Members of the group have concerns that the site was not properly cleaned up.

"So even though the groundwater exceeded the cleanup standards according to New York State regulatory requirements," said Walter Hang, the president of Toxic Targeting Inc. who helped the group put together their research. "No comprehensive investigation or cleanup was ever conducted at this site and the area around it."

The group is also calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to have the site investigated and fully remediated. Most recently, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation had testing conducted on water samples taken from the property in 2020. The DEC determined that no action was needed.

"We've talked to DEC, they think there's nothing there to investigate," said Big Flats Board Member John Hunter. "They [The Big Flats Defenders] sent a letter to Hochul, we cannot enforce the law. If the DEC doesn't want to come down and investigate it, or the state, there's nothing we can do about it."

The group says it wants the state to do thorough testing for hazardous waste and restore the site to its state before any contamination occurred.

As far as the Soaring Heights Landing Project, the town board said that project is in the hands of the planning board.