Town meeting vote on demolition funds

CORNWALL — A plan to demolish Rumsey Hall is moving forward, a little slower than anticipated, but with a possible Oct. 1 town meeting to approve funding.

Cornwall Building Official Paul Prindle has condemned the dilapidated building on Bolton Hill Road. Once a grand, pillared building constructed as a private school gymnasium, the landmark edifice has fallen victim to years of neglect and the ravages of the 1989 tornado.

Town officials and the town attorney reached an agreement with owner Andrew Hingson for the town to finance the work. Hingson told them he does not have the money to restore the building as he had planned. He is ultimately responsible for costs.

He bought the building from the town for $150,000 in the early 1990s.

What needs to happen now is a yet-to-be-determined appropriation by voters to pay for the demolition. The work is expected to be fairly simple. There are, basically,  no hazardous materials remaining in the structure. Since it is already crumbling, it should come down quickly. Foundation stones will be removed and the building’s footprint leveled off.

Prindle has prepared a draft Invitation To Bid, which was sent to the town attorney for review.

First Selectman Gordon Ridgway reported at a Sept. 7 board meeting that several local contractors have expressed an interest. They would have to be properly licensed and insured.

Resident Tom Levine wanted to know how the town would get its money back. Ridgway assured him the cost borne by the town would be recouped; the property is secured by a lien, with interest, on the property.

“We don’t view this as a long -term loan,� Ridgway said. “There is a relatively new state statute that allows us to recapture tax liens quickly.�

Jerry Blakey wanted to know what happens if voters reject the appropriation.

“The town meeting is basically a formality,� Ridgway said. “The buck stops with the town. If the building official says it needs to come down, we really have to do it.�

As far as getting rid of the debris, Ridgway said that might not be as big a job as imagined.

“Someone wants the foundation stones. The Rumsey Hall school in Washington wants the doorknobs to auction off at a fundraiser.�

Those, however, would be decisions for Hingson to make.