The Parking Authority in December approved contracts for further environmental work and scope of services for demolition of the former Mangos property on Fulton Street, which some might remember as the former Fulton Hotel restaurant.

The Parking Authority authorized a $48,157 contract with CME Associates during a special meeting on Dec. 27 to prepare demolition plans and bid documents for the demolition of 1349-51 Fulton St. (Block 312, Lot 4.04). It was the final meeting of the Parking Authority before being dissolved and shifted to a Parking Utility within the auspices of City Council.

Based on recent groundwater sampling results adjacent to the former sidewalk underground storage tanks, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in groundwater at the property, exceeding DEP Ground Water Quality Standards (GWQS). If a third groundwater sample continues to exhibit PAHs in the groundwater it will be necessary to implement a classification exception area (CEA) to address groundwater, including installation and monitoring of two permanent monitoring wells at a cost of $100,510.

An underground oil tank has been removed and contaminated soil removed from the property at a cost of $91,690, according to a resolution authorizing an amendment to the terms of acquisition.

The authority agreed to acquired the property for $400,000 and demolish the 7,800-square-foot building to provide for as many as 60 parking spaces. Mangos closed several years ago and was for sale as early as 2013. Five years ago, DMR Construction proposed an 88-unit building on the former Mangos property and some adjacent lots. The plan was tweaked in 2014 to 84 units but never materialized.

In May, the Parking Authority approved a resolution (#34-18) to acquire the property for $400,000 — four months after approving a resolution (#17-18) to buy the site for $475,000. Property taxes had been about $36,000 on the property last year, based on a tax assessment of $518,300.

The Parking Authority closed on the property Dec. 31 for $350,000, according to property records. The seller, Hayden Asset II, LLC, agreed to an additional $50,000 credit toward the $400,000 purchase if the authority closed by Dec. 31 and assumed liability for implementation of the Classification Exception Area (CEA) plan. It had acquired the property in 2012 as a “bank transfer in lieu of foreclosure,” according to property records.