An update on the hydroponic farming operation, Ramsay Agriculture, set to take over two locations in the city was discussed during Monday’s housing committee meeting. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

Structure and stabilization work is ongoing at the old Atlas Crawford Furniture building, which is set to become one of two locations in the city home to Ramsay Agriculture.

Ramsay Agriculture is a hydroponic farming operation that is set to be located at 40 Winsor Street — the Atlas Crawford building — and 65 River Street. In a previous interview with The Post-Journal in March, Project Manager for Ramsay Agriculture, Ross Ramsay, said that the indoor hydroponic farm will produce fresh food including leafy greens, herbs, mushrooms and strawberries, and will serve up to a 250 mile radius that will include reaching to New York City.

During Monday’s Housing Committee meeting, ongoing work and activity outside of the Crawford building was brought up by Council President Tony Dolce, R-Ward 2. Crystal Surdyk, city development director, said they have been working with Ramsay Agriculture for about a year and a half.

“Right now they are working on stabilization and putting scaffolding up on the exterior of 40 Winsor because of the facade,” Surdyk said. “It’s mostly superficial. I know there have been some concerns about bricks falling; every time we get a call we send somebody over and I promise you it has not degraded to a point where it’s not any longer salvageable.”

Additionally, Surdyk said the owner of the company is in the structural steel business, and that she and her team have seen the plans, just recently sitting down with him, and the building inspector has reviewed the plans for the stabilization that will start going on the inside.

“So first they’re going to focus on the outside and make sure any loose bricks are not going to come down,” Surdyk said. “You’ll see the scaffolding continue to go up all of the way on that Winsor Street side, and then I’m sure you’ve seen the barricade. So there should be a lot of activity over there.”

Dolce said he has received some questions about it, and Surdyk said all of the activity is good and from the owners, who have already put in over a quarter of a million dollars into the building. She said they have also asked about acquiring more of the parcel, which is owned by JURA and the land bank.

“Their plans are coming along,” Surdyk said. “They’re not ready for site plan approval or anything like that, but we’re working with them on first the stabilization and then going forward.”

Besides the vertical hydroponic growing operation, Surdyk said Ramsay Agriculture will also be doing biodigestion, or taking bio waste like seaweed from the lake and turning that into energy to energize their whole facility, with the possibility of having enough to feed back into the grid.

“So, it’s been a lot of conversation, a lot of coordination with the BPU and other various agencies, but they’re moving along,” Surdyk said. “It’s exciting.”