Blighted Buildings Along East Main Street in Endwell Coming Down
More than three decades after it was damaged by an arson fire, an abandoned Endwell laundromat and several nearby blighted buildings could be demolished soon.
Broome County businessman Tim Connolly has acquired properties along East Main Street and Scarborough Drive with an eye toward redeveloping the sites.
Connolly is CEO of First General of Southern New York. The company recently moved its offices into a building that previously had been occupied by various establishments, including The Pub at North and Main, Bobby's Place and O's Place.
A nearby building at the corner of East Main and Scarborough has been been boarded up and vacant since it was damaged by a blaze on June 5, 1988. The Sud-N-Duds laundry had operated at the site but it never reopened after the fire. It was one of several arson incidents that had occurred over a short time in the Endwell neighborhood.
Connolly said he is hoping to develop a plan that would make the properties he recently purchased productive. He is making preparations to have the unused buildings torn down. He said he intends to develop "something that really makes a difference in the corridor" near the busy intersection of East Main and North streets.
Connolly said he's pleased with the support he's received from town of Union officials as he prepares to move forward to redevelop the site. At this point, there's no definite timeline for demolition work he'd like to see it start as soon as possible.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.