Work crews have demolished an addition to the back end of what was once Cobleskill’s United States Hotel and more recently, Lambert’s.
But the Main Street structure will remain standing until owner Mark Nadeau can come up with the $60,000 he needs for asbestos abatement.
The addition housed Harmony Acres until a May 2010 fire and resulting water damage in the main building essentially gutted the structure.
Harmony Acres has since reopened in an unattached building at the rear; last week Mr. Nadeau used his own excavator to pull down the add-on and salvage as much of it as possible.
Mr. Nadeau said engineers found no asbestos in the rear of the building, which left him free to do the work.
The old hotel and department store, however, does contain asbestos and that demolition must be handled by a licensed professional.
“If it was a home, if I lived in there, I could do the job myself,” he said.
“But because it’s a commercial building, it’s subject to all sorts of prohibitively expensive regulations and until I can find $60,000, I can’t do a thing. Thank you New York State.”
Last September, Village of Cobleskill Codes Enforcement Officer Mike Piccolo determined the building is unsafe and a public nuisance and needs to come down.
Demolition, however, has been stymied by the cost of asbestos removal.
Mr. Nadeau would still like to build a one-and-a-half-story building with a slightly smaller footprint—about 7,400 square-feet—on the site, something that would also allow for additional parking.
He has said he could accommodate from 5-9 tenants and the building would have a “country farmhouse look” with elements of Mission style, faux stone wainscotting, gable peaks, and cupolas.
Approval for any building there is subject to approval by both the Planning Board of the Historic District Review Commission.