The former Eden Park Nursing Home building, vacant since 2007, will be razed by Cobleskill Regional Hospital in a controlled, phased demolition project that will begin later this week.
"We've had multiple engineers and architects evaluate the property and all have ruled out potential renovation or repurposing because of the building's poor physical condition and the high costs of bringing its outdated 1960's configuration and systems up to modern standards," explained Eric Stein, hospital president/CEO.
"We have spent significant amounts to maintain the building since purchasing it in 2007, and now we need to refocus those resources on hospital services."
The hospital is approaching the demolition project with two priorities in mind: safety and minimization of disruption to the surrounding area and to our patients, visitors, and staff, Mr. Stein said.
The first step in the project will be the installation of fences on November 28. The site will be secured with fencing and locked gates. No cranes, explosives, or wrecking balls will be used.
Work will take place during daytime hours on week days. Measures will be taken to control and avoid dust, including the spraying of the area with water.
Following demolition, the hospital plans to seed the area with grass. The project is expected to take about four months to complete.
The hospital bought the former Eden Park building in 2007 following its closure.
In 2010, the hospital proposed construction of a new $24.6 million nursing home facility in its place, but the project was contingent on securing $10 million in funding from the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law (HEAL NY) Phase 19 Capital Grant Program. In 2012, the hospital learned the project would not receive funding.