Source: http://www.oleantimesherald.com, January 28, 2017
By: Kelsey Boudin

A day after publicly discussing a pending roof replacement at the Manufacturers Hanover building, the city’s Urban Renewal Agency on Friday reported that mold contaminates the long-vacant structure.

The mold, discovered during a recent air quality test, was not visually apparent on any surfaces on the first or upper floors, but early assessments indicate it may stem from excessive basement moisture. The former bank at the city’s main intersection — which last had formal tenants in the early 1990s — has been without heat for more than 18 years, URA officials said.

The Urban Renewal Agency purchased the century-old Manny Hanny, as it’s commonly known, in 2010.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing that there’s another issue to deal with in regard to getting this building redeveloped and having it be something that would be attractive to external developers,” said Olean Common Council President Paul Gonzalez, D-Ward 3, who also serves with the URA. “That being said, look at the course of action that the URA is taking — swift and appropriate to remediate the situation. That really speaks to the URA’s commitment to redeveloping that building and salvaging it and making it worth what it is; what it can be for the city of Olean.”

There are currently no federal or local regulatory air quality methods or exposure limits for airborne fungal spores, officials said. Staff will begin removing and cleaning contaminated materials to prevent more fungal growth.

The Urban Renewal Agency had already been planning work there including the roof replacement and other associated upgrades. An estimated $400,000 price tag would “hopefully be on the high end” of the scope, URA Chairman Chuck Corcoran said Thursday.

Following an independent analysis of the building, Corcoran said, the URA would issue a request for proposals in hopes of accepting the lowest responsible bidder by May and completing the work by Sept. 1. The agency will cover the bill, most likely with a combination of financing and grants, he added.

The cost of the mold remediation, however, is unknown, Gonzalez said. The Times Herald was unable to reach Corcoran for comment Friday.

“I doubt it would be overly inexpensive,” Gonzalez said. “I think it’s too early to say what kind of cost we would be looking at. I wouldn’t have the kind of expertise to estimate what kind of dollar amount we’ll be looking at.”

Access to the building has been restricted the last several months. Olean High School students had been working independently with the social media group Revitalizing Olean to spruce up the lower bank level for prom this spring.