Councilman: Building demo ‘complicated’
The building at 15 N. Main St. that partially collapsed Wednesday is shown Thursday.
The rear side of a building at 15 N. Main St. that partially collapsed Wednesday is shown Thursday.
Emergency responders broke through a wall in an adjacent building at 3 N. Main St. to reach a woman trapped in an apartment building collapse Wednesday in Washington.
Emergency responders broke through a wall in an adjacent building at 3 N. Main St. to reach a woman trapped in an apartment building collapse Wednesday in Washington.
Emergency responders broke through a wall in an adjacent building at 3 N. Main St. to reach a woman trapped in an apartment building collapse Wednesday in Washington.
After a nearly 10-hour rescue effort to free a woman trapped in a downtown Washington apartment building Wednesday, the priority of city officials was to immediately raze the unstable structure.
The demolition hasn’t occurred, though, and will likely take weeks – and hundreds of thousands of dollars – to achieve.
“It’s very complicated,” said Washington City Councilman Joe Manning Thursday.
A rear section of the roof and upper floor of the building at 15 N. Main St., also called the “Montgomery Building,” caved in just before 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Thirty-eight-year-old Megan Angelone was pinned under a refrigerator and two floors of material until about 6:25 p.m., when she was freed in a rescue effort that involved more than 100 people. Razing the 117-year-old structure, which at 2 p.m. was evacuated by emergency responders due to falling bricks and debris, was the next challenge.
“We had a demolition contractor on-site (Wednesday), prepared to do the work we needed to do,” said Manning.
It was a false start, though. After discussing the scope of work with the crane operator, it was decided the demolition would be difficult because of the proximity of the two adjacent properties, 3 N. Main St. and 19 N. Main St.
Manning said an indemnification agreement, which would secure the city against legal responsibility, has to be signed by the owners of those buildings before work can commence.
Rescue crews broke through a brick wall of 3 N. Main St. to get to Angelone.
According to information shared at a debriefing after the rescue, crews initially broke through the wall at the wrong location.
After a second measurement to locate Angelone through the wall, crews “made contact with her right away,” and a medical specialist was moved in from that position, a rescuer said at the debriefing.
Other than that damage, Manning said experts believe the building at 3 N. Main is structurally sound, although there are concerns the collapse could eventually cause foundation damage.
Manning said the current time estimate for demolition is three to five weeks, at a cost of $100,000 to $150,000 a week.
City officials plan to contact 15 N. Main owners Mark J. and Melissa Russo of Washington to see if their insurance will cover costs.
Mark Russo, who was deeded the property May 30, 2013, said he has insurance on the property – which in the county’s most recent reassessment was valued at nearly $250,000 – and sent a structural engineer Thursday morning to assess the site.
“I’m hoping they can take care of it,” he said.
After an emergency order was granted by Washington County President Judge Katherine Emery Wednesday to immediately demolish the building, city of Washington solicitor Steve Toprani said he notified Russo, who would not agree to the building being demolished.
Russo on Thursday denied reports he has been “noncompliant” with city code ordinances. He said a crack in the wall, for which city code enforcement officer Ron McIntyre filed a citation in March, did not cause the collapse.
The citation alleges the landlord failed to replace a failing wall, which was described as “cracked, not structurally sound.”
On Wednesday, McIntyre described the building as “a nuisance property” that has had numerous citations.
The Russos are scheduled to appear before District Judge Robert Redlinger Tuesday over the citation.
“I’ll definitely be there,” said Russo, who said he had the wall fixed twice.
Manning said the city has about $50,000 of Community Development Block Grant funds, distributed by the Redevelopment Authority of Washington County, earmarked for blight demolition.
“We could use that to help, but if we use all of that, we have nothing for anything else in the city,” Manning said. “It may be one of those situations where the city has to front the money – at least a portion of it – to get it safe, and then maybe try to find a reimbursement in the future. We can’t leave half a building sitting there indefinitely.”
Another impediment is the downtown’s designation as a historic district. “Because of federal funds, (the work) may have to go out to bid,” Manning said. “We may be able to pay for it and get it to where it’s safe, open Main Street back up and everybody can kind of get on with their lives. Then we could bid out the second phase of demolition. That’s a possibility.”
Manning said he has been contacted by residents requesting the brick facade be saved for its historic significance. He said that was being taken into consideration, but the priority is safely and promptly getting the building down.
North Main Street, from Beau Street to Chestnut Street, remains closed to traffic, and the sidewalk in front of the structure is closed to pedestrians.
“I think we’re going to have to keep it closed for an extended period of time,” Manning said.
The 13th Annual Classics on Main Street car cruise scheduled for Sunday has been canceled. Citywide Development Corp. Executive Director Christy Bean Rowing said officials are working to reschedule the event.
Staff writer Justin Channell also contributed to this story.