The Site is located in the downtown area of the Village of Herkimer (Village). The property was formerly a 4-story hotel that had fallen into disrepair. In July 2014, a portion of the building collapsed posing an imminent threat to the people of the community. The Village obtained a Supreme Court of Herkimer County order in October 2014, stating that the Village could demolish the dilapidated building and dispose of the debris. The order also stated that the Village could seek reimbursement of all costs and expenses against the current owner Glory Ventures, LLC.
In June 2015, the Village demolished the building following EPA guidelines. It was believed that the building had ACM within it. During the demolition, the Village wet down the structure to contain fugitive dust and then secured the debris pile with fencing and plastic sheeting, The plastic sheeting deteriorated and has since been replaced, however it remains inadequate to prevent releases of ACM into the environment.
Prior to demolition, the owner contracted a New York State licensed asbestos contractor to collect bulk samples from within the building for asbestos analysis. The contractor collected 15 samples from various building materials throughout the structure. The samples were not sent for analysis due to the current owner not willing to pay for the analyses.
The Village has attempted to get the current owner to pay for the removal of the debris, but the owner claims to have insufficient financial resources to perform this work.
