From City Hall: Casket Factory will come down

By Margo Frink

The Oneida Common Council agreed Tuesday to allow spending to remove what’s left of the old Casket Factory on the north side of the city. The building has been vacant since 2006 after an arson fire and deemed hazardous.

According to city Engineer Jim Bacher, asbestos abatement has been done and the building is ready to come down. The $49,000 for asbestos removal came from the capital projects fund, of which $99,000 was allocated toward removal of the building.

Bacher said someone had obtained a demolition application but never applied for a permit.

“The time is right to do something,” Bacher said.

A resolution was then passed to reallocate the cash, which Bacher said would reduce the amount of borrowing, to complete the demo process. What Bacher asked the city for was to expend the remaining $50,000 to demolish the building and remove all debris including concrete floors. He said some fill would need to be brought in to fill in a crawl space. The dilapidated fence would also come down. The lot would then be graded and seeded. The city Department of Public Works would use the same provisions as they did when demolishing and removing the old junior high school on Elizabeth Street, he said. Bacher said he would seek quotes for equipment rental.

“It’s a good thing to do, it’s the right thing to do,” said Councilman Donald Moore. “It would improve the north side.”

The Council was asked about reimbursement to the city. Mayor Peter Hedglon said one option is to place a lean against the property.

In Other News

A public hearing was held on Local Law 1 regulating the use of outdoor furnaces. The law permits outdoor furnaces within agriculture and manufacturing/industrial zones outside the city.

The Common Council approved a grant application through the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for an Allen Park project.

Recreation Director Brandon Lovett said the state requires the city utilizes the park for recreation purposes now and forever before applying for the grant. If grant money is received it will be used for a barrier-free, handicapped accessible playground.

The fire chief was authorized to sell a surplus nozzle for $175.

The fire chief was authorized to proceed with replacement of fire hose and to expend funds up to $9,999.

The Council agreed to allow Bacher to proceed with implementing Phase I of aeration system upgrades at the waste water treatment plant at a cost of $25,000.

A couple of Capital Projects were amended with cost reductions including the waste water treatment plant’s preliminary and primary facility upgrade at a reduction of $410,000; and the state Energy Research & Development Authority Pilot Test at a reduction of $6,295.

The annual street maintenance capital project was also amended by $5,627 to reflect actual appropriations.

The Common Council will meet again Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.

From City Hall: Casket Factory will come down

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