NEW BERLIN – For more than 21 months, the Village of New Berlin has been in a bureaucratic tug of war at the state and county level in an attempt to get a historic, yet condemned three-story building either demolished or restored.

After more than a year and a half of deliberation, officials are nearing a decision on the fate of 2 North Main St., according to Mayor Wade Schrag.

Schrag and Deputy Mayor Robert Starr met last week with Ken Markunas, a representative of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), after Markunas’ agency tossed up the most recent road block in the demolition of the building, saying the village needed a more extensive review of the project.

OPRHP put a halt to the village’s initial plan via a May 29 letter stating: “Based upon our review, it is the OPRHP’s opinion that the project will have an adverse impact upon the property that is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.”

“(Markunas) met with Bob Starr and I and we had a walk-through of the building so we could point out areas of concern,” said Schrag. “After taking a closer look at our concerns, he was a lot more receptive to the idea of demolishing the building.”