LIBERTY, NY — When a foreclosure occurs in Sullivan County, the county often ends up taking title to the building or property, but in some cases, the county delays taking title—for instance, in the case of a property that may harbor an environmental problem, such as a gas station. That way, the county avoids making taxpayers bear the cost of fixing the problem that exists.

Initially that may have been the case with the Frankel Building in Liberty, but eventually the county took title to the building, and now, it’s the county that is going to take it down.

Treasurer Nancy Buck told lawmakers at a meeting on May 7 that the building has been up for auction three times, and “nobody wants it.”

She said the county should get an estimate of what the cost will be to take it down. She suggested that the cost might be surprisingly high, because the building is three or four stories tall, there is an asbestos issue, and there are other negative factors.

One of the biggest drawbacks to the building is that it is located next door to the Liberty Theater Complex, which is a collection of several store-fronts that have been frozen in mid-renovation status since 2012.

According to realtor Peter Belgard, in September of that year, the owner of a newly opened shop down the street from the theater wanted to end his lease in the storefront Belgard owned. So he called the Department of Labor (DOL) with an anonymous tip about asbestos. DOL found asbestos in Belgard’s building—which has since been abated—and also in the Liberty Theater buildings, and that project was shut down.

The owners of the theater project, Stephanie Eisenberg and her husband Paul, were using a $75,000 Main Street grant to pay for the work.

With the future of the theater project looking very uncertain at this point, the Frankel Building, which formerly housed Frankel Hardware, is a tough sell. Belgard said the building is in bad shape. He said one potential owner was sold the building for a dollar, but decided not to close because of various problems.

Removing blight

At the meeting Buck said the building would be worth more as a vacant lot, and the county should pay to have it taken down. She added that it should be paid for out of proceeds from the tax auction the county holds every year.

She further said that in her opinion, the county should set aside a certain amount of money from the auction each year to take down county-owned buildings that no one wants, “so we can get rid of some blight.”

The legislators were very receptive. Gene Benson said, “Great idea.”

Kathy LaBuda said, “With the casino and economic development going on, we need to keep the county clean. There are a lot of eyesores in the county.”

Scott Samuelson, chairman of the county legislature, said, “I think this is one of the best ideas I’ve heard in a long time, because it’s focused on something we all have an issue with, everybody in the county.”