Nursing Home Demolition Steps Started

The city is beginning a series of steps needed before the former St. Joseph's Nursing Home at 420 Lafayette St., can be cleared of asbestos and then demolished.

A tentative timetable for taking down the building calls for beginning asbestos abatement this summer, followed by demolition in the fall. Unforeseen delays could push demolition to the spring of 2018, according to city officials.

Ogdensburg Planning and Development Director Andrea L. Smith said her office is seeking Requests For Qualifications aimed at finding the most qualified engineer to assist the city with preparing documentation and providing oversight to abate the asbestos within the old nursing home.

Ms. Smith said a Request For Qualifications differs from a typical Request For Proposals on a project in that it's used when a municipality knows what it wants to accomplish, and is deliberately seeking the most qualified vendor.

"As the name implies, the RFQ process requires respondents to provide their qualifications so that the city can compare 'apples to apples' to ensure that we select the most qualified vendor," Ms. Smith said.

She said the cost to perform the service will be negotiated after the pool of qualified vendors is whittled down to those that rank the highest.

The city is razing the former nursing home, which sits on 2 acres of land, with money provided through a recent Restore NY grant.

The $500,000 grant is earmarked for two demolition projects - the St. Joseph's Nursing Home on Lafayette Street - and the former Garns warehouse on Main Street.

The Garns building has already been razed. That demolition occurred quickly because there was no asbestos in the structure. To the contrary, the former St. Joseph's Nursing Home is known to contain the carcinogen.

"In the case of 420 Lafayette St., we have a set of knowns, the most important of which is the presence of asbestos containing materials," Ms. Smith said. "We also know that when dealing with ACM, prior to building demolition, certain procedures must be followed and enacted before abatement can occur. The remedy here is to ensure that a qualified individual or firm with expertise in asbestos abatement, monitoring and reporting be on board to assist the city in compliance."

Ms. Smith said it is her hope that by mid-to-late June an engineer will be under contract to begin assessing abatement procedures.

She said there is also a series of documents that must be submitted to various state agencies prior to the start of removal.

"Realistically, we could begin abatement in the late summer with demolition in the fall," she said. "Depending on the weather, it could be that demolition is reserved until spring of 2018. Weather conditions will play a significant factor in the time line."

The 420 Lafayette St. property is zoned Moderate Density Residential, meaning that single-family homes, two-family homes, and multiple-family dwellings are allowed, as are some public, institutional, and service uses.

Ms. Smith said the razing of the building, which covers a large lot bordering on Lafayette, Franklin and Caroline streets, is an opportunity for the city to cleanup and eyesore and put property back into productive use.

"This is another great project for the community, and one I and the rest of city staff are eager to get started on," Ms. Smith said. "The asbestos does take a bit more time to manage, but the city will take all necessary precautions to ensure that procedures are followed and that community health and safety are maintained."