Silver Creek Mayor Jeff Hornburg

SILVER CREEK — Mayor Jeff Hornburg joined the Silver Creek Village Board a decade ago. For nearly all of that time, he has been awaiting the demolition of the old Main Street School building.

To say it was a long time coming is an understatement.

Hornburg has been cautiously optimistic as the demolition neared closer. He wanted the building to come down as badly as anyone else — he just did not want to get his hopes up only to be let down again.

Finally, the day has come. Demolition began Wednesday morning.

The building was previously slated to come down long ago, but as Hornburg stated, the developer pulled out “at the 11th hour.” Ever since, Hornburg has stated several times that when it comes to a demolition of the building, he will believe it when he sees it. His concerns were only amplified by the postponement of demolition that was scheduled for this past October.

Hornburg’s wife, Sandy, was a bit more optimistic. She even joked that she would be set up in a lawn chair across the street to cheer as it fell. The entire village has felt the weight of the building as not just an eyesore on downtown Silver Creek, but also as a danger to those who ignore common sense and approach the barely standing building.

While the site has been nothing but a hassle for decades, it has the potential to become a huge asset to the community.

Southern Tier Environments for Living, Inc. (STEL) plans to construct new 54-unit apartment senior living community, for residents ages 62 years and older, at the site of the former school following its demolition. The new building will be comprised of 51 single-bedroom units and 3 two-bedroom units.

“We look forward to developing a beautiful building that the people of Silver Creek will be proud of,” said Thomas Whitney, Executive Director at STEL.

The project meets the State’s Senior Housing State Goal allowing low-income seniors to live independently within the community. It also meets the goals of Community Renewal and Revitalization, as well as Workforce Opportunity State Housing. The project has received a conditional award from NYS Department of Health.

While Hornburg was careful to not get too animated, he did acknowledge that the planned development “will benefit the community immensely.”