Concerns over Newberry’s notwithstanding, the Cobleskill Partnership is moving ahead with plans to “sell” the Town of Cobleskill on the historic building.
At the same time, Supervisor Roger Cohn said the town hasn’t yet followed through on plans to make a $150,000 offer on 107 Union Street.
Mr. Cohn said Monday there are some questions over asbestos and hazardous waste the town wants answers to first.
In June, CPI was given 60 days to provide the kind of facts and figures that would convince the town to move its offices into the old Newberry’s instead of buying 107 Union.
CPI President Brian Kaiser said they’ll be there when the town meets this month on July 20 with an update.
Representatives from the town and Schoharie County agencies including IDA and Planning & Development toured Newberry’s two weeks ago.
Since then, Mr. Kaiser said, CPI has been working with architect Bob Loden to draw up first-floor floor plans.
They’ve also been working on the answers to four questions, he said: Will the town fit into the space, what’s involved in making it comparable to 107 Union, how long will it take, and how much will it cost?
Mr. Kaiser argues that leasing space in the old Newberry’s to a reliable tenant like the town is the only way to secure the kind of financing needed to save the building, which CPI sees as a linchpin in revitalizing Main Street.
If the town is outbid on 107 Union Street, Mr. Cohn has already said the town will stay where it is on Shad Point; Mr. Kaiser sees that as an indication they could also stay there until renovations on Newberry’s are completed.
“CPI still sees Newberry’s as a viable option,” he said.
Concerns raised during the Newberry’s tour include questions over heating, ventilation, and asbestos.
But Mr. Kaiser said those are all cosmetic—and fixable.
“What continues to be a challenge is the perception that the building can’t be restored,” he said,
“All the problems people pointed out are solvable.”
It didn’t help that developer Mark Nadeau told the town Newberry’s could be inhabitable in a couple of months, Mr. Kaiser admitted, something CPI is still doing damage control from.
“Mark brings a lot of expertise to this project,” he said. “He’s already investing a lot of his time and energy in making this happen. He’s passionate.”
Despite a number of attempts, efforts to find funding to restore Newberry’s have been unsuccessful and Mr. Kaiser argues the project “doesn’t have a lot of options left.”
“Someone has to take a stab at it,” he said, “and from where CPI sits, the town is in a reasonable position to do that.