CRESSON — Braemar Cottage may be headed for the scrap heap.
The Cresson Township supervisors Thursday told their solicitor to seek court approval to have the 120-year-old structure razed.
The 3-0 approval of a pre-written resolution came after an hour of sometimes heated debate between members of the recently re-formed Cresson Area Historical Association and neighbors of the cottage, who have been pushing for nearly two years to have it demolished.
Historical association members responded angrily to the vote, accusing the supervisors of failing to do what most people want.
“You don’t want to represent your community. You’re not representing your community,” said association member Charles Miller.
On Monday, the historical group gave the township a proposal suggesting it would take six to 10 months to stabilize the structure at a cost of $50,000.
However, the proposal contained no potential funding sources. And Miller said Thursday that the group has raised only $500 toward the project.
The historical group is valued, but actions – not simply good intentions – will dictate the township’s next move, Supervisor Gary Bradley said recently.
“We have a responsibility to all the residents of the township to provide a safe and pleasant place to live. And this building, in its deplorable state, does not make any of us very proud,” Bradley said.
Township officials already have contacted the Cresson Area Fire Company, investigating removal of the home through a controlled burn, Bradley said.
Cresson resident Etta Albright – an advocate of at least salvaging part of the Queen Anne-style cottage – said in a letter copied to state Rep., Gary Haluska, D-Patton, that there was not enough time given to the newly re-formed historical group to save the structure.
“As a private citizen, I continue to advocate for salvaging Braemar Cottage because it belongs to the public and is a tangible link to America’s industrial heritage,” Albright wrote.
But residents living nearby say that, not only is Braemar an eyesore, devaluating their homes’ values, but there is potential danger to anyone going inside.
Since 1990, Braemar has been the property of the historical association.
Earlier this year, Cambria County Court – at the urging of Cresson Township officials – declared the structure violated the local nuisance ordinance.
A study on behalf of the National Park Service in April determined that, while the structure probably could be salvaged, a full restoration would cost between $2.7 million and $4 million.
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