New Lebanon School District is tearing down historic school building - msnbc.com

LEBANON SPRINGS - Asbestos removal is already underway at the Union Free School building in Lebanon Springs.

Once that is completed in a few days, actual demolition is scheduled to begin.

"We had bricks and other things falling from the building," explained New Lebanon School Superintendent Karen McGraw.

Residents were stopping by Wednesday to snap a few pictures, documenting the last days of the four room school house.

Doug Banker is Vice President of the Lebanon Valley Historical Society. "It is sad to see one of the few remaining old historic buildings in town kind of go but on the other hand it's a difficult thing to save a building like that. It takes money. It takes a good use."

The former Town Supervisor was among those hoping to save the structure. Meg Robertson writes "the town was still willing to give up a piece of its vital story in order to build a parking lot for high school students".

The building is adjacent to athletic fields in the 500 students school system.

"We're concerned that the building will collapse," said Superintendent McGraw. "I am not an engineer so I don't know how it would collapse, if it would fall over or when it falls will debris fall in various directions and whether there would be any sort of warning but because we've got kids playing there and we have kids parking there, that's a safety issue."