A South Korean-American company is set to build a massive lithium-ion recycling facility at the site of a former IBM plant.

Now, the community as well as two former mayors from both parties are fighting the move. 

"I hope that everyone who's making this decision understands their role in the community because I see it, they should see it," said former Endicott Mayor John Bertoni.

But there are also bigger concerns at hand, including the plant's location, which sits right behind Logan Field. Former Mayors John Bertoni and Mike Colella join many within the village who fear the safety of children and the community could be put at risk.

"Do we want our children to play in these fields with a factory spewing nano-parciles, dioxins? Do we want our children playing here? I think it will have an effect on these parks. I think the parents are going to say, don't go down there," said Mike Colella, another former Endicott mayor.

But according to current Mayor Linda Jackson, who also had concerns at first, residents shouldn’t be worried. She says the village had no power in the actual permitting of the company to come to Endicott, but claims the DEC spent months reviewing the site.

Since it's currently zoned as industrial, recycling can go forward.

"I feel very confident. This is a very safe company and they held off all this time to help Endicott feel better but they've waited six months. I can't ask them to wait any longer," said Linda Jackson, Endicott Mayor.

Chemists say the factory plans to burn more than 2,000 pounds per hour for 12 hours per day.

"That will put our more cancer-causing chemicals. That's outrageous. It's bad enough that these people were poisoned once in the past but it should make all the politicians sensitive to the fact that they should not be poisoned again," said Paul Connett, Retired Chemistry Professor.

Jackson says the DEC has since responded to multiple questions online, and claims the facility is not projected to be a major source of air pollutants. But others disagree.

"You can see the housing, you can see the baseball field, you can see the swimming pool. This is outraging sighting. You couldn't do this anywhere else in the country so close to peoples housing, so close to schools, so close to baseball fields," said Connett.

A zoom meeting will be held Monday at 7 p.m. for residents to express their concerns.