Published: July 12, 2008 10:30 pm         

Demolitions still moving along

City reaching halfway in structures, funding

DANVILLE — With about 80 demolitions soon to be completed — 61 completed/in progress as of July 1 and another 17 that were ready to go — the city is about 64 percent completed with the demolition program it started last year.

City officials identified about 125 dilapidated structure demolitions to be completed with an approximately $2 million bond issue.

The total bond money spent as of July 1 was $1.054 million. This includes demolishing the former Warren Danz attorney office/labor hall and the vacant former furniture store at 17-23 E. Main St.

A breakdown: $275,000 in asbestos abatement related fees; $224,000 in dumping fees; $245,000 in demolition activity, which includes contractual services and city truck and fill costs; $145,000 in demolition activities committed but not yet completed; and the purchase of a second track excavator to speed up the demolitions, $165,000.

Public Works Director Doug Ahrens said the city is faring a little better on the dollar side, to the physical structure count.

Some buildings have been added or taken off the demolition list, including the former AT&T building north of city hall in the latter category.

Those removed have a timeline to bring them up to code.

Assistant city attorney Bill Donahue said a number of things can happen during the notification process, before a building is demolished. If repairs are completed, the city will review them for reconsideration.

After building inspectors inspect the properties, Public Development Director John Heckler and Mayor Scott Eisenhauer sign off on the demolitions.

Donahue said when there is a fire, there can be a holdout for insurance matters

“Sometimes it will speed things up,” he said, adding that the owner then will agree to allow the demolition and work out a payment plan.

City officials won’t talk about specific properties and when they plan to be demolished due to safety issues and persons taking items from the properties and making them worse eyesores.

Only 23 demolitions had been completed by March 11.

As of July 1, Public Works Director Doug Ahrens had put the number at 61 completed or in progress, with 17 additional structures being worked on by the public works department this month.

One of the larger structures torn down was the former Fairchild Village, 1305 E. Fairchild St.

There will be another round of demolitions coming soon, in addition to the Colonial Apartments building on North Street and the vacant McDermott building on East Main Street by Holy Family Church.

The city is more than halfway in its structure count, but behind in its original timeline. The city has two fiscal years to ex-pend the bond money for the demolitions.

Ahrens blames the snowy winter for not cooperating, moving the second excavator to the yard waste site due to the large amount of yard waste this year and also the rain and fewer auxiliary staff, for the demolitions and restorative lot efforts lagging behind.

The city kicked off the 100-plus demolitions with the demolition of 17-23 E. Main St., across from County Market last year.

Ahrens said the city was divided up into areas for the demolitions because some are larger, multi-unit apartment buildings that will require more time with asbestos abatement.

It’s more efficient also to keep the equipment in one area longer than moving it all around the city.

Areas:

--Area 1: Bordered by the CSX railroad tracks on the north, south of Fairchild Street and Bowman Avenue to the west. Total demolitions: about 23.

--Area 2: North of the CSX railroad tracks near Fairchild Street and east of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. Total demolitions: approximately18.

--Area 3: East of Logan Avenue, west of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks and north of the CSX railroad tracks. Total demolitions: about 30.

--Area 4: Between two sets of CSX railroad tracks, primarily between West Williams and Main streets and east of Logan Avenue. Total demolitions: estimated at 27.

--Area 5: West of Bowman Avenue, with railroad tracks bordering the north and west. Total demolitions: estimated at 24.

Demolitions generally remain in areas 3, 4 and 5.

The city has about $2 million for the demolitions, after the city council approved an almost $4 million bond issue last year for the accelerated demolition program and to create a centralized public works facility at 1155 E. Voorhees St., the former Illinois Power building.

The city previously would earmark about $154,000 annually for demolitions.

Ahrens said some neighbors already have adopted and are taking care of the remaining vacant lots.

“We appreciate everyone’s help,” he said.