ATHOL – Building Inspector Bob Legare and Town Manager Shaun Suhoski appeared before Tuesday’s meeting of the Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee to review actions taken on vacant and abandoned buildings in town.

Steps included hazardous materials mitigation, demolition and structural safety measures, depending on the issues peculiar to each building.

Several of the buildings had been owned by the town – acquired through tax-taking – and necessary work was completed before disposing of these properties at auction. These included two single-family homes and a cottage located on Sanders, Lake and Wilder streets, respectively.

The sites that generated the most discussion were the former York Theatre/Lucky Lanes building at 469 Main St. and the old fire station on Exchange Street.

The issue of most immediate concern was that of loose masonry, with many bricks having fallen off the theater’s chimney. Those bricks were collected and loose bricks on the building removed.

In the basement of the Main Street building, said Legare, “We could see asbestos-wrapped pipes, but we couldn’t get into it because there was five or six feet of water. Clean Harbors gave us a quote of $85,000 to pump it out and take it to a treatment facility.”

He added, however, that additional testing found the water could be pumped out and treated at Athol’s water treatment facility.

“So we’ll be able to get the water out so we can get the asbestos done,” said Legare, adding that two oil tanks were seen “floating in the basement.”

The total cost of asbestos abatement, said Legare, is close to $50,000, and no asbestos was found in other parts of the building.

“For everything else that was visible that we were able to test, we have a clean bill of health right now,” said Legare.

The building inspector said that based on estimates, demolishing the theater, including asbestos work, would cost approximately $1 million. He said steps should be taken to ensure public safety and the stability of the structure.

Noting that the building’s roof has significant leaks, Legare said, “It’s going to be more and more dangerous if we don’t try to remove or save the building.”

Asked by FinCom member Mike Butler what town officials want to do with the building, Suhoski said that no decision has been made. The Selectboard, he added, would likely support “the actions that Bob described – secure it, make it safe, get in a condition where it will be more affordable to demo it, if and when we get to that point.”

Asked by Butler about the possibility of converting the structure into usable space, Legare said, “Every building is savable, but the town has to decide how much money they want to throw at this. But every year that goes by, we’re losing the opportunity to save it.”

Suhoski questioned the wisdom of rehabilitating the building.

“I don’t think we need more space in buildings downtown right now,” he said. “There’s available space in other structures that maybe could be renovated for productive use that front on Main Street. I think we need to fill the space we have before we talk about creating another storefront that needs to be filled.”

Sources of funding to cover the demolition were also discussed. These included grants, free cash and the town’s capital account. Suhoski said he and other town officials will need to determine the most cost-efficient means for completing the work. Earlier in the meeting, FWAC Chair Ken Duffy noted that there is just over $424,000 in the vacant and abandoned buildings demolition account.

As for the old downtown fire station, Legare said there are significant issues with the roof, in addition to possible lead paint issues, and the need to affect repairs to the masonry. A new roof, he said, is necessary to prevent further deterioration of the building. He said he was unable to inspect the basement because the stairs had collapsed.

“The question has to be what the future of that station is,” he said. “Right now, the Fire Department stores their backup engine – they’re going to store an ambulance in there – and they have the antique fire truck. My recommendation would be to put a new roof on it, gut the upper floors, and just leave it as cold storage for the trucks. That’ll buy you another five or ten years, easy, to ultimately decide what to do with it.”

Legare estimated the cost of a new roof at around $100,000.

“I think what [Legare] outlined is a commonsense plan,” Suhoski said. “Seal it up, roof it, it can still be used for storage; make it look a little better on the outside.”

“If it’s maybe $150, $175,000,” Duffy concluded, “that would kind of buy time to figure out what the next move is with that building.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.