Firm hired to raze Argyle

By JOY BROWN

STAFF WRITER

Findlay-based Charles Construction Services has been hired by owners of the Argyle apartment building to be the general contractor for demolishing the fire-damaged structure, Findlay Service-Safety Director Paul Schmelzer said Wednesday.

A "demolition specialist" will be brought in to oversee the work, he said, which could begin today.

Schmelzer said city administrators are coordinating with the contractor, the owners, the Environmental Protection Agency and Wood County Building Inspection Department to get the project declared an emergency.

Demolition usually involves a lengthy permit process through the EPA, Schmelzer said, but when public safety is at risk, permission can be expedited.

Downtown streets and businesses near the Argyle remain closed to traffic, although some businesses behind the barricades remain open to pedestrians.

The area has been cordoned off since Thursday's fire, which structurally weakened the building enough to necessitate razing it.

"We've already given them (owners) a verbal deadline" to bring in demolition crews, Schmelzer said Wednesday. "That deadline was yesterday."

But Schmelzer said the city hasn't pressured the owners too much, because the owners continue to seek a resolution.

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Firm hired to raze Argyle