Niskayuna Rowing to raise funds for new boathouse
The vacant Aqueduct House in Niskayuna is lined up for demolition after needed repairs piled up to a costly amount, but the demolished building could become the future boathouse for Niskayuna Rowing.
The Niskayuna Town Board held a special meeting on Thursday, April 14, and approved hiring Edgeco Environmental Inc., of Cohoes, to remove asbestos from the Aqueduct House at a cost not to exceed $6,600. Approval of the demolition company is slated for the board’s Tuesday, April 26, meeting at a cost estimated to be $18,000. Supervisor Landry said a recent change in state law requires any building over a certain age to undergo an asbestos abatement, which the facility fell into those requirements. Landry roughly estimated $120,000 would need to be spent to make all the repairs needed at the building.
It is defiantly in need of a ton of repairs, thousands, said Frank Gavin, superintendent of the town’s highway department.
It isn’t mandatory to remove asbestos from the building before demolition, but the costs associated with including asbestos in the rubble upon dumping raises costs significantly. Landry said it is cheaper to remove the asbestos beforehand.
`If you don’t remove the asbestos the fee per ton is hundreds of dollars. If you can remove the asbestos and have it certified you can just dump the material in a demolition landfill that is $75 [per ton],` said Gavin.
Veteran board member Liz Orzel Kasper recalled pushing for the facility years ago when she was elected to the board.
`I’m certainly for this, but it is kind of hard,` said Kasper. `My first year here is when I negotiated with the county to get the Aqueduct House it served its purpose, but it became a white elephant.`
After demolishing the building, the property would be in the town’s control, but Niskayuna Rowing is planning to hold fundraising drives to build a new boathouse. The club is separate from the school district’s rowing program, but it is comprised of middle school and high school rowing teams and training yearlong. In the summer the group also holds Learn-To-Row classes for children and adults. The school funds a different season as opposed to the club’s season with students, said Landry.
`We are working with the crew club to look at a future use of that property as a boathouse,` said Landry. `It would have to be a boathouse with some town access to that property.`
As soon as the funds are raised, which Landry estimated to reach $400,000 to $500,000, plans for construction would move forward. Currently the school group rents space from the adult’s boathouse, but now it is looking to have its own building with more space available for storage and a small office area.
The building has been used by a few different entities, but for over six years it has been vacant since ECOS: The Environmental Clearinghouse left. The group rented the building from the town, said Landry.
`It was really only used for a short period of time as office space and there really wasn’t a lot of money sunk into it,` said Landry. `When I took office in 2008 it was ready to be demolished, and it is in really poor condition.`
Town officials and members of the crew club met to mutually discuss that area of town the group said they wanted to construct the new boathouse.
`Right now you have a house that would cost a lot of money to bring it to even a functioning building, and we believe that this use of the property could be better utilized as a boathouse for the crew,` said Landry. `This is a spot that needs to be utilized for the water activities.`
In other news, the board also approved a resolution scheduling a public hearing for the Tuesday, April 26, meeting on Ellis Hospital’s planned expansion of Bellevue Woman’s Center, located on 2210 Troy Road, to construct two additions to the facility. The Town Board has determined the project will not have a significant effect on the environment, and the town planner was directed to file a negative declaration for the project.
`They are on the same spot that they are now, so my understanding is that there is no acquiring of land,` said Landry.
Ellis is spending $15 million to renovate the facilities, adding more space for the actual operation and additional office and patient space. Representatives from Ellis are expected to give a presentation or overview of the project at the April 26 meeting.
`Once they spend all this money and upgrade this facility that is a great asset for the community,` said Landry. `What this will do is ensure they have the most up-to-date technology and upgrade their facilities, and they will improve all the hospital services.“
