Sale or disposal of unused federal properties sought

The Obama administration has proposed a board of experts to fast-track the sale or disposal of "excess" federal properties, including several buildings at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and two national parks on Long Island.

Federal officials Wednesday submitted proposed legislation to Congress and also unveiled an interactive map showing half the 14,000 unused or underutilized properties, from sheds to office buildings. Some are for sale or lease. Others are to be demolished to save energy and maintenance costs.

Brookhaven National Laboratory dominates the Long Island list with 10 buildings. The largest is a 12,408-square-foot building that hasn't been used in years but was a decontamination facility in the early days of the nuclear program. Others were cottages for employees, and one is an old laboratory.

None of the buildings are for sale, said Lanny Bates, the assistant director for facility operations.

Unsuitable for current needs, they'll be demolished, replaced by energy-efficient buildings when funding for new projects comes, he said.

It's part of the lab's normal management, Bates said: "It's sort of churn, as we take out old 50- to 60-year-old facilities and bring in the new ones."

At Fire Island National Seashore, a 5,720-square-foot, boarded-up motel by Talisman Beach and an obsolete water well are to be demolished, said spokeswoman Paula Valentine.

The Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley has a "recreational" structure on the list, but park manager Michelle Williams said she's not sure if that's a former storage shed.

Earlier this year President Barack Obama set a three-year target of $15 billion in real estate savings.