The city is giving the property owners of one damaged downtown building until Dec. 9 to begin repairing or demolishing their building. If they don't, the city will demolish it and the crumbling adjoining building.
Carol and Ruben Wieberg, owners of 202 E. High St., have until Dec. 9 to begin "meaningful on-site work to repair or demolish" their building, according to a Thursday notice from City Counselor Ryan Moehlman.
If work does not commence by that date, the city will begin demolishing 200 and 202 E. High St. on Dec. 10, according to the notice. Work would not stop until both buildings are demolished, and the site is cleared and secured, the notice adds.
It's been more than 16 months since the west wall of the building at 200 E. High St., owned by Neidert Properties LLC, partially collapsed. Structural engineers determined the wall collapsed due to water infiltration and hidden decay of the mortar in the wall.
Over the last year-and-a-half, Andrew Neidert, with Neidert Properties, and the Wiebergs have debated who is responsible for the shared common wall between 200 and 202 E. High St.
Earlier this month, Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce reaffirmed her June ruling stating Neidert Properties owned the common wall and therefore could proceed with demolishing 200 E. High St.
Neidert Properties applied for a demolition permit in September. City staff had not approved the demolition permit as of Monday.
Neidert previously told the News Tribune he planned to demolish all of 200 E. High St., including the common wall between 200 and 202 E. High St.
While city staff is "encouraged" by discussions between the two parties, Moehlman states in the notice, the city is "now in a position in which it is unlikely that new information is going to be discovered about the situation and a solution needs to be identified and implemented."
"The traveling public, downtown, business community and people of Jefferson City have tolerated this situation long enough," Moehlman states in the notice. "It is past time for a solution, either private or public, to be implemented and for the site to be restored out of what has become a perpetual state of limbo."
Michael Berry, representing Neidert Properties, told the News Tribune he did not wish to comment.
David Bandre, representing the Wiebergs, did not return the News Tribune's request for comment. Bandre previously said the Wiebergs were looking for ways to protect their building from demolition.
The city ruled 200 and 202 E. High St. were dangerous buildings a year ago and gave Neidert and the Wiebergs deadlines to repair or demolish their buildings, which both property owners missed.
After they missed the deadlines, the city conducted administrative hearings and ruled the city could begin abatement if the property owners did not repair or demolish 200 and 202 E. High St.
The Wiebergs filed a lawsuit against the city in March, asking for a new hearing. In June, Joyce affirmed the city's ruling that 202 E. High St. was a dangerous building, and the Wiebergs must repair or demolish the property.
Law firms Berry Wilson LLC and Turnbull & Stark LLC were previously located in 200 E. High St. Businesses Love2Nourish and MO Juice were previously located inside 202 E. High St.