NEWFANE — For locals driving by the splintered remains of the Newfane Creamery, which was destroyed by fire March 2, every trip past the site is a sad reminder of the beloved cafe, Selectboard Vice-Chair Carol Hatcher told her colleagues at the May 2 Board meeting.
“The holdup is, the state discovered that there was a linoleum floor in the upstairs bathroom, and sometimes linoleum has asbestos in it,” Board member Gary Delius said at the meeting.
State officials put a 10-day hold on demolition of the building until they could test for the presence of asbestos, which, because of the health hazard it presents, is highly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
According to town officials, no asbestos was found.
Although Delius said at the May 2 meeting “the building should be gone” within the next two weeks, Administrative Assistant Shannon Meckle told The Commons last week that the building is still standing.
Meckle had no further information on when demolition would begin.