New Berlin officials nearing consensus on condemned building
NEW BERLIN – For more than 21 months, the Village of New Berlin has been in a bureaucratic tug of war at the state and county level in an attempt to get a historic, yet condemned three-story building either demolished or restored.
After more than a year and a half of deliberation, officials are nearing a decision on the fate of 2 North Main St., according to Mayor Wade Schrag.
Schrag and Deputy Mayor Robert Starr met last week with Ken Markunas, a representative of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), after Markunas’ agency tossed up the most recent road block in the demolition of the building, saying the village needed a more extensive review of the project.
OPRHP put a halt to the village’s initial plan via a May 29 letter stating: “Based upon our review, it is the OPRHP’s opinion that the project will have an adverse impact upon the property that is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.”
“(Markunas) met with Bob Starr and I and we had a walk-through of the building so we could point out areas of concern,” said Schrag. “After taking a closer look at our concerns, he was a lot more receptive to the idea of demolishing the building.”
Schrag said he and the village board still hold the belief they had adopted months earlier that restoration of the building was cost prohibitive and demolition was the only feasible option.
“There are still some hurdles, but now we’re moving in the right direction,” said the mayor.
Other signs that the proposed demolition is meeting general consensus at the local and state level: Last week the village received approval from Albany for a $160,000 Restore New York grant which can be spent for the cost of tearing down the building. Also, the final engineering review conducted by the Chenango County Code Enforcement office concurred that restoring the structure would be cost prohibitive.
The village initially received two preliminary estimates on the cost of restoration that were inconsistent, each favoring opposite actions. The county’s first unofficial estimate leaned toward restoration while a private contractor said it was cost prohibitive.
The 19th-century brick building at 2-10 N. Main St. was condemned by county codes officials in early January 2008 because individuals complained bricks were falling from the structure.
The building’s owner filed for bankruptcy earlier in 2008 and has been unable to take on the burden of the costs associated with its demolition or repair.
He has agreed to sign the building over to the village and has permitted contractors to review the site in order to apply for the Restore NY grant.
The village offered to pay $24,000 owed in back taxes as part of the arrangement.
After more than a year and a half of deliberation, officials are nearing a decision on the fate of 2 North Main St., according to Mayor Wade Schrag.
Schrag and Deputy Mayor Robert Starr met last week with Ken Markunas, a representative of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), after Markunas’ agency tossed up the most recent road block in the demolition of the building, saying the village needed a more extensive review of the project.
OPRHP put a halt to the village’s initial plan via a May 29 letter stating: “Based upon our review, it is the OPRHP’s opinion that the project will have an adverse impact upon the property that is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.”
“(Markunas) met with Bob Starr and I and we had a walk-through of the building so we could point out areas of concern,” said Schrag. “After taking a closer look at our concerns, he was a lot more receptive to the idea of demolishing the building.”
Schrag said he and the village board still hold the belief they had adopted months earlier that restoration of the building was cost prohibitive and demolition was the only feasible option.
“There are still some hurdles, but now we’re moving in the right direction,” said the mayor.
Other signs that the proposed demolition is meeting general consensus at the local and state level: Last week the village received approval from Albany for a $160,000 Restore New York grant which can be spent for the cost of tearing down the building. Also, the final engineering review conducted by the Chenango County Code Enforcement office concurred that restoring the structure would be cost prohibitive.
The village initially received two preliminary estimates on the cost of restoration that were inconsistent, each favoring opposite actions. The county’s first unofficial estimate leaned toward restoration while a private contractor said it was cost prohibitive.
The 19th-century brick building at 2-10 N. Main St. was condemned by county codes officials in early January 2008 because individuals complained bricks were falling from the structure.
The building’s owner filed for bankruptcy earlier in 2008 and has been unable to take on the burden of the costs associated with its demolition or repair.
He has agreed to sign the building over to the village and has permitted contractors to review the site in order to apply for the Restore NY grant.
The village offered to pay $24,000 owed in back taxes as part of the arrangement.
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