MOTEL FIRE ‘MONKEY WRENCH’

CVS Delays Closing

3rd Time On Motel

COOPERSTOWN – Fortune 100 CVS Health has delayed closing on the Cooperstown Motel property for  a third time, receiving an extension until Nov. 21, Martin Tillapaugh, attorney for the Al O’Brien estate, said today.

“The fire at the motel really threw a monkey wrench in the middle of everything,” said Tillapaugh, referring to the Aug. 9 suspected arson at the corner of Chestnut and Beaver streets.  At the time, CVS had expected to close on the property “within a few days,” he said.

After the fire, the company received a delay on closing from Aug. 19 until Sept. 19, then Oct. 21, and now into November.

After the last delay, it was reported that fighting the fire had broken intact asbestos into particles, turning a fairly straight-forward demolition into a more expensive clean-up of dangerous materials.