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But more cleanup is definitely on the way, most likely starting with asbestos remediation in the old plant's main complex. The EPA estimates the total cost of work needed in that building at $1.2 million.
The goal is to have the property in good enough shape that a new owner can take it over and either reuse existing buildings or safely demolish them, Mr. Confortini said.
"Basically, we're trying to determine whether or not the funding is there to go after everything," he said.
More work is needed beyond the main building. A separate structure that houses the plant's boiler requires about $600,000 in asbestos removal, and asbestos insulation also must be taken off outdoor pipes.
Mr. Confortini also said it's not clear which parts of the complex are structurally sound. The EPA demolished one collapsing building last year, and found that parts of the main building's roof had crumbled inward.
The project will likely be funded over two years, said Mr. Confortini.
The news that there will be at least another step forward in cleaning up the empty factory was met with praise from Castleton and county officials.
"No one is going to want to touch that property with the asbestos in it," said Village Trustee Nancy Perry. "The level of asbestos is nothing that the village could afford to touch at all."
In a written statement, all three county legislators from District 4-Legislature Vice Chairman Martin Reid, Ed Swartz and Margaret VanDeusen, all Republicans-said the work will be an important step in making the site useable again.
"We view the Fort Orange site as a prime economic development opportunity and are eager to begin marketing this site to interested parties as soon as possible," Mr. Reid said in the statement. "This is a good site with a lot of potential for manufacturing or tech companies."
Fort Orange, which produced folding cartons like cereal boxes, shut down in March, 2002, putting about 80 employees out of work.
The plant closed after TransCanada Power, an electricity co-generation plant that leased space on the site from Fort Orange, shut off steam power it supplied to the factory, citing $500,000 in unpaid bills.
There was talk of the paper company Dixie buying the factory, but ultimately no deal came through.
John P. Hay Jr., who operated the plant when it closed, still owns the eight-building facility, which is surrounded by 120 acres of land.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation carried out an initial cleanup at the plant in 2003, taking away about 8,000 gallons of oil and chemicals left there.
Mr. Hay owes Rensselaer County more than $300,000 in back taxes. The county, EPA and DEC previously expressed interest in recouping expenses or back taxes from Mr. Hay.
County Executive Kathleen Jimino (R) has said in the past that more cleanup work was needed at the plant before the county would consider foreclosing on the property.
The owner's whereabouts are not clear. Mr. Confortini has said the EPA obtained Mr. Hay's written permission to enter the deteriorating plant, but otherwise, state and federal officials have kept mum on the subject, citing ongoing investigations or negotiations.
State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office, which had looked into the matter, did not return calls for comment this week.
Earlier this year, two former Fort Orange officials painted contrasting pictures of Mr. Hay, who managed the plant for years before buying it in 1997.
Greg Seaman of Kinderhook said he served as the company's treasurer from 1980 until he was fired in 1993 for raising concerns about the way that Mr. Hay led the plant. He said he later worked for TransCanada, the neighboring co-generation plant.
Mr. Hay was not a good manager, he said, and under his watch the company lost "a gem of a customer," Hartz, among other problems.
"He just drove that place into the ground, and I was telling him we were going to lose a million dollars a year on this carton operation," Mr. Seaman said. "I was putting it in writing. He didn't like it."
"It's a very sad story, and an unnecessary one," he said of Fort Orange's end.
However, another management level employee, who asked to remain anonymous, earlier this year described Mr. Hay as an experienced manager who tried to keep Fort Orange afloat amidst declines in the paper industry.
"He had a lot invested in it," the former worker said.
The employee said Fort Orange owed money for steam power because the neighboring co-generation plant, which originally was tied to the paper company, raised its rates after it became independent and was purchased by TransCanada.
TransCanada has previously said it warned Mr. Hay several times before it cut steam to Fort Orange.
In the EPA's last visit, the agency removed asbestos exposed indoors and outside, removed more than 800 chemical containers, cleaned up an indoor mercury spill and drained PCB laden oil from two electric transformers. Crews tested the surrounding property for contamination, none of which was found.
The EPA also secured personnel records, which were scattered about the company's vacant offices, and tried to cut off access to the complex for trespassers.
With ongoing efforts to improve the Village of Castleton, Trustee Perry said it's important to have something productive happening on the Fort Orange property again.
"It would bring people into the village, and that's only good for Castleton," she said.
