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SUGAR NOTCH — With a few surgical moves of an excavator, the dress factory in town stands no more.

Brdaric Excavating, Luzerne, was at the site of the old dress factory around 9 a.m. Monday beginning demolition of the 15-year-old vacant building. The factory, located at 669-671 Main St., was torn in pieces from back to front and took just over two hours to raze.

Kendal Hancock, who lives near the building, said his back porch and steps were once part of the dress factory. Nonetheless, he’s happy the eyesore is down.

“The steps along the back side could have injured or killed someone,” Hancock said as he watched from the alley behind the building.

The building was bought by the borough from the Luzerne County repository in August 2015 for $1. At Wednesday’s council meeting — when council learned the building was to be demolished — Councilman and Fire Chief Joe Rutkoski confirmed a fire in the building when the owner and her niece lived above the factory.

Rutkoski was also watching the demolition from the alley and brought his son Braden to watch a piece of Sugar Notch history fall. As fire chief, he’s happy the building is gone, saying it was a safety hazard for fire fighters.

“For us, it’s everything (to have the building down),” he said, noting he didn’t want to get a fire call at 2 a.m. to find out the building was on fire and he’d have to send his men into an unsecured location.

The building coming down eliminates a safety hazard for the neighbors of the borough as homes on Main Street are close together.

“It was a big worry,” Hancock said. “Kids getting in and catching it on fire.”

There was little asbestos in a corner of the building, Rutkoski confirms.

“They took care of that weeks, months ago,” he said of Brdaric employees.

Sugar Notch’s mayor Bill Davis, having been out of town, arrived just as the final piece fell.

“It’s been a couple years,” the mayor said of how long officials have wanted the building down.

The mayor, who has lived in Sugar Notch his entire life, remembers the factory in its heyday but said Monday’s demolition was his best memory of the place.

“This,” he said pointing to the rubble. “It’s down.”

Davis was amazed at how fast the demolition was as he expected it to take days, not hours.

The borough received funding for the demolition of the building through community development grants, with no money coming out of borough funds.

Kendal Hancock, a neighbor of the old dress factory on Main Street in Sugar Notch, talks about the history torn down Monday by Brdaric Construction.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060716dressfactory2-2.jpg.optimal.jpgKendal Hancock, a neighbor of the old dress factory on Main Street in Sugar Notch, talks about the history torn down Monday by Brdaric Construction. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

A dress factory in Sugar Notch is torn down Monday by Brdaric Construction.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060716dressfactory1-2.jpg.optimal.jpgA dress factory in Sugar Notch is torn down Monday by Brdaric Construction. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

By Melanie Mizenko

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Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko