Demolition has begun at the old National Casket Company / Stanton Box factory site it Oneida, NY though a date for bringing down the smokestack has yet to be decided.

Much of the factory burned Nov. 12 in a spectacular fire.

With his six-man crew, Jim Bent, owner of JLB Enterprises of St. Johnsville, said that, barring unforeseen problems, the initial clean-up of the site should be complete by the end of this week or the beginning of next.

"I have got to get the debris out of the way first," he said, before he can consider bringing down the smoke stack using explosives.

Bent, who has been working in contracting and investing for the past 15 years, has also helped bring down the Revere Building in Rome and said he's in negotiation to work on the City Lanes fire site, but hasn't had any confirmation on that project yet.

Jeffrey E. Truman Jr., who has been charged with third-degree arson, fourth-degree conspiracy, first-degree reckless endangerment and first-degree insurance fraud in connection to the fire, will be in Madison County Court Thursday morning for pre-trial motions.