SYRACUSE -- Route 81 North has been shut down for 10 days. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has stepped in to handle hazardous materials. But now, there is an interesting twist in the situation. The owner suggests putting up a barricade between the building and the highway...in order to get the road back open. He says that would give him a chance to save this historic building that has been around since the late 1800s.
The State DEC removed some potentially hazardous materials from the building. Now, the owner may have a game changing idea. He's looking into saving the building from the wrecking ball.
The State DEC is moving, organizing, and taking inventory of the chemical contents of the crumbling State Street building.
Richard Brazell with the DEC said, "We're going to put every thing in this container, inventory it, recycle it and what we can't, we'll dispose of."
All around this building, there's gasoline, kerosene, waste oil, paints, roofing cement, and other solvents. But overall, today's work is going faster and smoother than the DEC planned.
Brazell said, "A lot of times you get nervous going into a building like this. You don't know if people might bring stuff in illegally, storing stuff they shouldn't be storing. But I was surprised there wasn't nearly as much material as I thought there was going to be."
Removing these materials helps reduce demolition costs. "If the building came down and material leaked, then some of the material might have to go off as hazardous waste."
Building owner Anthony Tartaro said, "This is the first official that's talked to me. He's suggested this is something I can do to diminish the cost of demolition."
But it' still not clear who will pay that bill, which includes the costs of today's work. The City wants the building owner to pay, and they want to take away his land too. He says no way.
"The only reason you can take this away because I happen to buy a building next to a highway."said Tartaro.
Now, the owner is teaming up with a local real estate company and they want to rehab the building saying it would be perfect for residential and office space.
Martin Merola with Sutton Real Estate said, "Instead of wasting $250,000-$500,000 on demolition, let's put it into the historic building where the area is trying to get revitalized."
The owner suggests putting up a barricade between the building and the highway in order to get the road back open. He says that would give him a chance to save this historic building that has been around since the late 1800s.
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