GUILFORD – Hoping to rid Mount Upton of what they call a “dangerous eyesore,” Guilford town officials are moving on the purchase of the former Mount Upton High School that has been abandoned and waning for over 30 years.

The property, currently in foreclosure and retained by Chenango County, could enter a countywide delinquent tax sale this fall unless Guilford and county officials can finalize a purchase agreement. Guilford Town Supervisor Gilda Ward explained it’s the town’s aim to take ownership, demolish the building, and eventually sell off the property to a private party.

The risk of not following through with the town’s purchase, said Ward, is the possibility of having the building once again acquired by an outside developer who neglects it, a trend Ward said she’s seen over and over again.

“We’re concerned that it’s going to be purchased by somebody who’s just going to do the same thing that’s happened in the past,” Ward said. “In other words, it’s just going to sit and deteriorate more.”

The former school building has become a headache for town officials who are now getting pressure from neighboring homeowners and businesses, including Stewart’s Shops, to do something about it.

“We’re having a problem with the homeless going in there, people not from this area. We don’t know who they are. Stewart’s is very concerned about it and people who live in that area are very concerned,” said Ward. “It’s become a terrible nuisance. The building is really in bad shape, and I’m concerned that someone is going to get in there and get hurt or killed.”

At present, town and county officials have reached an initial understanding where the county would sell Guilford the property for $8,500, but that deal must still be approved by the Chenango County Board of Supervisors before a purchase can be settled. A resolution drafted by the county’s Finance Committee will go to the full board later this month.

In the meantime, the Guilford town board has hired a grant writer to help with the astronomical expense of tearing down the Depression-era brick school building laden with asbestos. Ward said she’s confident about being awarded a New York State block grant which will cover the costs of the teardown, but would also require the town to maintain ownership of the property for five years before it can sell it to a private party and return it to the local tax roll.

“We plan on putting the demolition project out to bid as soon as we’re awarded the block grant,” said Ward, adding her hopes of having work started by the spring of 2027. Meanwhile, the township would take steps to secure the building in order to keep out trespassers.

“This is something we have to deal with,” Ward said. “It can’t just keep sitting there forever.”