There is a hole in the brickwork on the side of 115 Main Cross Street, Edinburgh. The hole is blocked off, but remains open to the elements.
Waylon O’Donnell | Daily Journal
The Town of Edinburgh is now intervening after an unsafe downtown building has not been addressed by its owner for months.
Town officials voted in early December to declare a building, located at 115 E. Main Cross Street, an emergency. Now, the town is left to decide whether to demolish the building or fix the unsafe conditions.
Officials say the roof is no longer weather-resistant and the exterior walls are weakened by missing bricks. There is a hole in the side of the building that has since been blocked off to the public, but remains open to the elements.
Officials are worried that the building’s condition may worsen and it could collapse if it is not taken care of soon. With the building being downtown, many people walk and drive by the area every day and there are buildings on both sides of this one that could be compromised if it collapses.
In July, the town issued an order to the owners to repair the building, noting an engineer concluded it was in danger of collapse. The owner was ordered to “repair or rehabilitate the unsafe building to eliminate the danger of the building’s collapse,” according to court documents.
The owner requested additional time to respond to the order, which the town allowed. Town officials sought “relief to abate and enjoin a nuisance on the real estate, namely the current danger of the building’s collapse and the condition of the Real Estate,” according to court documents.
The town gave the owner “numerous notices of its unsafe building and many opportunities to take corrective action to make the premises safe,” court documents said.
In September, the town filed a civil complaint in Johnson County Superior Court 4 concerning the deteriorating building being in “danger of collapse,” according to court documents.
Superior Court 4 Judge Marla Clark issued an emergency order in October, giving the owner until November to “take necessary action” to fix the building and “prevent the building’s collapse.”
The court also permitted the town to make the building safe if necessary actions weren’t completed. In the interest of public safety, the town installed a barrier around the building and blocked access to the sidewalk, street and alley.
The engineer who noted the building was in danger of collapse in July, noted again in October that “the building needs to be immediately demolished or the shoring plans that he prepared need to be immediately implemented,” according to court documents.
Clark made an additional ruling on Dec. 1 that permitted the town to move forward with demolition in light of the owner’s inaction and the danger the building poses to the public.
Officials have yet to decide whether the building will be demolished or shored up, but Town Manager Kevin McGinnis said officials are leaning toward demolition. The town council has accepted bids from contractors and is working to finalize an agreement.
Officials hope to have a permanent solution for the building within the next month.
“It’s been frustrating trying to get it taken care of,” McGinnis said.
