Possibility of asbestos delays cleanup of demolished house in Colonie
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Seeing a pile of stinky trash in front of your home is not a pleasant sight.
“It smells terrible. When the wind picks up, you can smell it throughout the entire neighborhood,” Jane Danz said.
Danz lives directly across the street from the eyesore on Corthell Street in Colonie. She’s called town officials several times to ask when this pile of hot garbage will be no more.
“We really have not gotten an answer on whose responsibility it is or a timeline for it to be cleaned up,” she said.
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The roof partially collapsed on July 27. However, inspectors determined the entire house had to be demolished. Public Works Commissioner Matt McGarry says there was no other option.
“If the people had continued to live in that house, I have no doubt they would have been killed or seriously injured,” he said.
Everyone wants this pile of smelly trash gone. It's creating a foul smell and attracting flies, but cleaning it up is harder than it looks.
What’s the hold-up on the clean-up? McGarry says it’s possibly contaminated with asbestos.
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13 Investigates knocked on every door on Corthell Street, but it is the neighbors who live the closest to the debris pile who tell us the rubble is a nuisance.
McGarry said the town needs to follow state regulations to deal with asbestos and they had to hire a licensed contractor. He hopes to have the cleanup done next week.