In the first half of the 1900s, the City of Oneonta was a prime location for feed mills such as the large seven-building structure founded by the West and Nesbitt families in 1925. Until the 1960s, the Market Street feed mill thrived as a supplier to large New England poultry farms, but with a decline in both farming and railroad service through Oneonta, the mill languished, then shuttered for good in 1996. The owners had been unable to sell the site with the aging buildings due to the prohibitively high costs, for a private owner, of demolition. The City acquired the property through foreclosure in 2001 and obtained $600,000 from New York State for the demolition and remediation.

Delaware Engineering assisted the City by performing a building assessment followed by a full Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in connection with the property.  Engineers at Delaware developed plans, specifications and bid documents for the demolition of the feed mill, including all necessary asbestos and lead paint abatement, hazardous material and debris removal, and site restoration and regrading. The plans included pre-bid cost estimates and a schedule for the demolition.

Delaware assisted the City with pre-bid meetings, bid evaluation, recommendation of award, and all construction-phase services, including oversight of the demolition work, review/approval of submittals, and regular communication between the City and the contractor.

Demolition and site restoration were completed in 2003, and a new performing arts facility was constructed on the site, opening its doors in 2005.