Imminent building collapse causes concern for Mtn. View

Public safety took center stage as the Mtn. View Board of Aldermen discussed a building on the corner of First Street and Elm last Tuesday evening. The old Padgett building on the corner of First and Elm is in danger of collapsing according to City Operations Manager Eddie Owens. The big question is not if it will collapse, but when.

 

The owners of the building contacted the City to report wall and roof damage to their building on October 31. That damage allegedly came from the deteriorating Padgett building, owned by Jeremy Burks. Due to safety reasons, the business in the neighboring building has been closed.

 

Owens and Jason Taber, Mtn. View Fire Chief and newly appointed Building Inspector, inspected the Burks building several times after the initial phone call and during the week of November 3. "It seems to be getting worse by the day. It's leaned further than it was the first time we looked at it," began Fire Chief Taber. Owens explained to the board, "There was a crack on the west wall, (estimated at 30 feet long and approximately half inch thick) and the crack was at a series of ties running from the east wall to the west wall. As the roof deteriorated, it fell in and it's laying on these ties and these ties are pulling in. The ties are visibly angled up, they are being pulled down at the center." Owens went on to state that the east wall is leaning away from the building but he is unsure of what will happen when the ties give and the building collapses.

 

Mountain View Mayor Charry McCann spoke with Jeremy Burks about the building. "I have had more than one conversation with Mr. Burks. Our conversations resulted in him wanting to give the building to the city. Of course then it's our responsibility to get it down."

 

Owens told the board that he received some rough figures on the cost to demolish the building. "The cheapest one I've got, it's just a rough estimate, just to get it on the ground, to basically pile it in on itself, is roughly $38,000 to $40,000. From that point on it's going to cost $10,000 to $20,000 on the low end for disposal, depending on what materials they find inside. I've got some bids that are as high as $150,000."

 

Alderwoman Judi Colter asked, "What about the owner being responsible?" The board held discussion on how to best handle the situation whether that be issuing fines to the owner, condemning the building or taking possession of the building. City Attorney Deedra Nicholson stated to the board that right now the biggest issue is time. "You can enforce fines, but the next time it will go to court will be in December and at that point the building may not be standing."

 

"If we pay the $40,000 to take it down and make it safe ... can we then go after him (the owner) to make him pay it back?" asked Alderman David Bauer. "We'll have time to do something about it then. It's got to be taken care of."

 

At the close of the meeting, the city decided to contact MIRMA regarding insurance liability and the streets/sidewalks will be closed and roped off.

 

In a follow-up with Mayor McCann after sidewalks and streets were blocked off Mayor McCann reported, "MIRMA instructed us, due to safety, that we do our due diligence for safety. This is the most steps we can take at this point, from a safety point of view." When questioned about enforcing ordinances on the owner of the property Mayor McCann stated, "Unfortunately the city does not have any way of forcing the owner of the building to comply. This is why we have to start enforcing the ordinances on blighted properties and nuisance buildings before they are a major issue. You can have all the ordinances and all the fines you want, but if they are not enforced, it does no good." Mayor McCann went on to state that this issue should have been handled much earlier, before it became a massive safety issue. "It's not fair to the citizens of Mountain View for them to have to foot the bill when it's not the city's building," referring to the fact that the liability and responsibility of the building are with the owner.

 

The closing of Elm Street and partial closing of First Street have citizens and business owners upset over the city's "lack of communication".

 

Business owner Sara Chowning of Ruffwood Market was not initially made aware of the street closure by the city. "I found out when I came to the four-way stop on my way to open the store on Thursday (Nov. 14) morning. I was told by the City Clerk that the street was closed indefinitely and that it had been decided at Tuesday night's council meeting to close it. I own a retail business whose busiest months are November and December. I am losing money because people think my store is closed since they can't drive by and see an open sign. This is my livelihood and it is difficult enough to keep a small business open in a small town without extra literal roadblocks from the city."

 

A-Studio 120 Salon made a Facebook post stating, "...our road has been closed and no one knows how long it will be closed. That being said we are asking our wonderful clients to please bear with us because we had no idea this was going to happen. Parking can be found on the street around the post office that is close by."