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Spirits from the Past

The recent discovery of wooden vats from an old rum distillery doesn't mean that Albany, New York, suddenly has a new brownfield on its hands. Indeed, there's no contamination on the downtown site--only artifacts. But deciding what to do with them has delayed construction of a $12 million municipal parking garage.

The recent discovery of wooden vats from an old rum distillery doesn't mean that Albany, New York, suddenly has a new brownfield on its hands. Indeed, there's no contamination on the downtown site--only artifacts. But deciding what to do with them has delayed construction of a $12 million municipal parking garage.

It's the cost of doing business in a city whose establishment dates back to 1652 and which contains remnants of history buried all over. The city requires that a preconstruction archeological dig be done before any project gets under way. In February, the Albany Parking Authority invested $198,000 in a contract to do an archeological investigation of Dutch and English colonial remains on the site.

The investigation unearthed bricks from a Dutch-colonial-era brickyard from the 1600s, decorative tile fragments from a 17th- century Dutch house, and the 18th-century rum distillery. While that will not prevent construction of the garage, it has postponed the start of the project by at least three months and has upped the cost of the archeological investigation to approximately $450,000.

And it has renewed a debate over the best way to handle the city's historical finds. Some people feel everything should be preserved. Others get aggravated over the impediment to economic development. The archeological finds inevitably cause construction delays and increased project costs. Albany has spent substantial money over the years to work out solutions. In the current case, two businessmen offered $40,000 to remove part of the distillery.

The city will contribute another $10,000 to make sure it is preserved and exhibited eventually. "It's an issue we have to deal with in a city that is 350 years old," says Mayor Jerry Jennings. "I'm in the middle of both worlds, between the people who want to preserve and the people who want to do economic development. It's not easy."

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