New London — The city has chosen a firm to remediate, demolish and clean up the site of the former Thames River Apartments on Crystal Avenue.

The City Council on Monday authorized spending $1.4 million for Stamford Wrecking Company to start the first phase of the $3.5 million project, which calls for the removal and disposal of hazardous waste from the buildings. An environmental assessment turned up asbestos, PCBs and lead in the buildings.

The city doesn’t yet have the funds to pay for the entire project. The city recently accepted a $3.5 million proposal from Stamford Wrecking, which was one of 13 firms to submit proposals in March for the long-awaited demolition of the high rises. One early estimate had put the cost of entire project at $2 million.

Thames River Apartments was a federally subsidized 124-unit apartment complex for low income families where residents long complained about deteriorating conditions. The last residents moved out in 2018 thanks to a joint effort of the New London Housing Authority and city.

The city purchased the property for $185,000 and later rezoned the 12-acre property to commercial and industrial.

To pay for the first phase of the project, the city is using a portion of the $1.8 million left from a $2 million grant secured in 2018 from the Urban Sites Remedial Action grant program for the demolition. The grant is administered through the state Department Economic and Community Development to facilitate cleanup, reuse and redevelopment of polluted commercial and industrial sites.

Councilor John Satti, who has previously been in favor of rebuilding or rehabilitating the complex and voted against the purchase of the property, voted against the measure on Monday.

“I still believe the demolition … is a poor way to proceed,” Satti said, noting the lack of available affordable housing in the city.

Council President Efrain Dominguez, who lived at the high rises for much of his childhood, said the area is simply not suitable for families.

“I refuse to have children, boys and girls, playing under the bridge, next to the transfer station,” Dominguez said. “We need to look somewhere else to build affordable housing.”

The city, meanwhile, will look to secure the additional funding needed to start the demolition and finish the cleanup. The city has applied for a state DECD Brownfields grant program and for state bonding. Staff from the city’s Office of Development & Planning additionally are working on an application for a federal loan that could be used to complete the demolition. City officials say the project would qualify for federal COVID-19 relief funding.

Stamford Wrecking Co. wasn’t the lowest bidder, but the city’s engineering consultant, Tighe & Bond, and state environmental officials concluded the lowest bidder’s waste management and disposal plan did not comply with the requirements for the project.

A timeline for the start of work was unclear late Monday.

g.smith@theday.com