Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Erie County Legislators have sold the former Erie County Home in Alden for one dollar. However, the new owners will have to spend millions to get the facility up and running.
Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro says the building in Alden had become dilapidated over time. “The care wasn’t really kept up. The size of the building is 600,000 plus square feet in five different buildings, so it wasn’t feasible to continue, especially with the asbestos abatement that’s required to continue to maintain that property. So this asset has been a liability for Erie County taxpayers,” explains Todaro. He says the county has had 24 hour security on the home. “Thankfully, we’ve had the sheriff’s department having a building there that they are doing fleet repairs on the vehicles so they can keep eyes on the property. But we’ve always had lawn maintenance happening. Then occasionally you’d have some people going in there that don’t belong on the property. So it’s been an albatross, as we’ve been stating, and it’s time that we release it.”
The property was estimated at $17 million a few years ago, with a little interest. However, two years ago, Todaro says a New Jersey based business looked at the facility and expressed an interest. “We’re going to transfer that for $1 to these developers,” says Todaro. But there is a catch. “The developers are fully aware they are going to incur the cost of abating the asbestos. So right there, that’s millions of dollars there that that’s known of if they get into the project and find more, it’s going to be on their their checkbook, not the taxpayers. Secondly, is the building itself. They’re going to have some time to come up with a plan for the demolition, but Alden is very well aware. The Alden town board is aware that they will be removing really bad parts of the building that need to come down for emergency demolition, and over time, continue on with that demolition with the current structure,” notes Todaro…