NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. — A viewer contacted 2 on Your Side to ask about an eyesore in Niagara County.
It's an abandoned school that's been vacant for three decades and sits in ruin along Main thoroughfare in the Town of Niagara.
The viewer described it as looking like something in "bombed-out Ukraine" and a visit to the site on Tuesday proved their description was not far off the mark.
Lee Wallace is the supervisor of the Town of Niagara and lives around the corner from the place.
"It's an eyesore and is on one of our busiest roads and I don't like it there," said Wallace. "One of the things I've tried to do is clean up all the vacant buildings we have in our town we've done a pretty good job of it. Except for that one."
Dave Stapelton, a Niagara County developer bought the old school several years ago, hoping to convert it into senior housing.
But the path toward his plan has been pockmarked by pitfalls, the least of which was a 2019 arson fire where firefighters, unable to quell hotspots inside the building, had a wrecking crew tear down exterior walls so they could get to them.
Demolishing the former school then raised a host of costly environmental issues.
"The belief now is that the facility, when it comes down, cannot be buried on site it has to be taken to a secure landfill," said Wallace, who indicated this would add $500,000 in costs.
But, according to Stapelton, hope may be on the horizon.
In a statement, he told 2 On Your Side, "We are working with an experienced housing developer who is doing their due diligence with a goal toward moderate and affordable senior housing."
He also noted the site has qualified for the state's brownfield cleanup program and said once requisite environmental studies are concluded, it is possible to work could commence in one year to eventually build a senior housing complex that will connect to nearby Veterans Memorial Park.
"I've gotten to the point where I'll believe it when I see it," said Wallace. "But that's not to be critical about Dave Stapleton because he's trying very hard."