A historic building along Capitol Avenue will be demolished sometime this week.
The Jefferson City Council unanimously decided 407 E. Capitol Ave. is no longer salvageable after it caught fire and suffered extensive damage. Mayor Carrie Tergin said if residents or squatters had been inside 407, the tragedy of the fire could have been more grave.
The building was already on the city's list of dangerous buildings, pending demolition by neglect. The building was unique, given it was one of about a dozen Capitol Avenue buildings that could see revitalization efforts in the next year. Structural assessments are completed, and the council will use reports to assess whether buildings are viable for restoration. If so, restoration bids will be sought from private or commercial entities.
But, 407 will no longer be considered in the redevelopment process. Its estimated property value was $47,500.
The fire, occurring Sept. 24, caused extensive destruction to the building's backside and would cost thousands of dollars to repair, City Attorney Ryan Moehlman said. The repair would ensure no one is able to enter the ground level, he said.
The council discussed Monday whether the building should be repaired or remain. Many council members agreed it looked in poor condition; others wondered whether it posed a further risk to public safety members obligated to intervene in another calamity.
Councilman Scott Spencer said he toured the outside of the building Sunday evening.
"My estimation is that it is beyond significant repair, I do not want the fire department or public safety to be put at risk," he said.
Councilman Ron Fitzwater asked for details of the scene the Jefferson City firefighters arrived to the evening of the fire.
Jay Niemeyer, an assistant Jefferson City fire chief, said responders were able to attack the fire from the outside of the building, after having assessed it upon arrival.
"But yes there are significant hazards with going in a building when we don't truly know the interior conditions," Niemeyer said.
In structural assessments, 407 was on the cheaper side to repair compared with the other properties assessed. Its repair was estimated at $146,000.
Property inspector Dave Helmick said that estimate, however, was for rehabbing the upstairs only. The city was unable to estimate the cost to repair its ground level.
"Squatters had barricaded the doors and windows. They were unable to access into the main living area," Helmick said. "While it was a lower amount to rehab the building ... in looking at that it would be significantly more, of course."
Helmick shared other issues securing the building from interlopers.
"And had someone been living there, it would have been disastrous, and it wasn't long ago people were," Tergin said.
She added: "That's why the city is going through this process to remove tenants and residents from there."
In a memo sent to council, Moehlman said contractors could begin demolition this week.
In other business, the council unanimously supported a bill to accept a grant for sidewalks improvements along the city's Greenway Trail.
The grant from the state's Transportation Alternative Program will be used for constructing raised crosswalks for pedestrians at the intersections of the Greenway at Southwest Boulevard near Wears Creek and at Lafayette Street.
The project will cost about $278,429, and 80 percent will be covered by the grant. The rest will be paid for by the city's half-cent capital improvement sales tax funds.
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Video of the meeting is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He13_3Ib_bU.