DECATUR The long-awaited demolition of the parking garage near the Barnes Citizens Building has caused the temporary closure of the 200 block of East William Street.

The street is closed between North Franklin Street and North State Street from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The Regions Bank drive-through will remain open, and motorists will have access from Water Street to East William Street.

Pedestrians are encouraged to use the north sidewalk on the closed section of the street, and motorists are encouraged to seek an alternate route.

City officials and downtown business owners have spoken about the garage as an eyesore for years, but removing it has been complicated.

The city obtained a demolition order after a court declared the structure unsafe in 2009. However, the city could not affect the value of the adjacent building, the heating and ventilation units for which were located on the parking garage.

City Manager Ryan McCrady had pledged that the garage would come down last winter. However, the garages owners, the Ballinger family, agreed to arrange for the work themselves rather than reimburse the city.

The demolition process finally began in April.

The garages demolition also sets the stage for the final phase of the downtown streetscape improvements. Work on the Franklin Street corridor is scheduled to begin later this year.

City officials had said the garage must come down before that construction could start.

apetty@herald-review.com|(217) 421-6986

Visit link:
Parking garage demolition to slow traffic on East William Street

GENEVA After the first stage of demolition began Monday at the former Coultrap school, Glorianne Campbell went over and peeked through the construction fence.

Campbell and her husband, Colin, had been staunch opponents of Geneva School District 304s decision to raze the 90-year-old building at 1113 Peyton St., lobbying officials at meetings and speaking out in favor of preservation.

But now, Campbell said, the focus is coming up with a plan to memorialize the building and the educator for whom it was named Harry Coultrap, the districts first superintendent.

The building cant continue to stand and I have to accept that, Glorianne Campbell said. We will have something so people in the future will know Coultrap. Im just sad. The quality of the materials that went into that building are exquisite, and they dont build things like that any more.

Alpine Demolition Services of Batavia began the demolition process Monday, beginning work inside the building to get it ready for razing. Officials said in a week or two, giant claws attached to excavators will take chunks of the building out until it is completely gone. Demolition is expected to be completed before the start of the 2013-14 school year.

When it actually starts to happen, maybe I dont want to watch, Campbell said. Ill see when the time comes.

When the original Coultrap building opened as Geneva High School in 1923, it had a principal, nine teachers, one secretary, two or three telephones and room for 300 students, according to a history of the school.

Coultrap was dedicated as a junior high in 1958, became a middle school in 1968 and was converted to an elementary school in 1994 before being closed in 2009 so its students could attend the new Williamsburg Elementary School.

The Superintendents Facility Task Force recommended the building be demolished and school officials affirmed that, saying the building was too expensive to keep or maintain.

See the original post:
'The building can't continue to stand': Coultrap demolition begins in Geneva

Some officials believe the city was shut out of a county demolition project for political reasons, while county officials say the city is protesting prematurely.

City Planning Director William Cowan sent a letter to county commissioners May 30 voicing his concerns about the Moving Ohio Forward grant program and a bid packet distributed by the county Development Department.

Cowan said he was not aware the final selection of properties slated for demolition had been made, learning "by chance" when Deputy Service-Safety Director Dan Galeoti informed him.

Galeoti, who owns a demolition company, received a packet offering his company the opportunity to bid on the demolition project, and the packet included a list of 44 properties.

Cowan asked for a packet and discovered no city properties were included on the list, nor were any properties in Salem, Wellsville, Salineville, Hanoverton and a few other communities, although each had submitted lists of properties they wanted to see demolished under the grant program.

Included in the bid packet, with the number of properties to be demolished, were Columbiana (3); Leetonia (4); Center Township (3); Liverpool Township (4); Middleton Township (6); Salem Township (1); East Palestine (4); Butler Township (5); Knox Township (1); Madison Township (5); Perry Township (3); and West Township (5).

Although concerned the city had not been included, Cowan said he is most concerned that those properties earmarked for demolition in the bid packet do not meet his interpretation of the program's intent.

"Being familiar with Moving Ohio guidelines, many of the properties that you have approved for demolition are far removed from the purpose of the program, and that is to rid neighborhoods of blighted abandoned residential properties caused by, or that were part of, the housing bubble collapse that occurred in 2007 and 2008," Cowan wrote.

After speaking with the Attorney General, Cowan said they concurred that the program's guidance documents are "vague and not specific enough to prohibit you from including seemingly ineligible structures in your demolition packet."

Nonetheless, he said those choices left him with unanswered questions, such as whether demolition orders been issued on the properties, whether volunteer demolition agreements had been signed for them, how the program was "sold" to those who did sign the agreements, and whether selection of properties was politically motivated.

Go here to see the original:
Officials question demolition choices

is to take shape at the corner of Huron and Division streets in downtown Ann Arbor have been reduced to rubble.

Crews could be seen Tuesday afternoon clearing pieces of the buildings, including the former Papa John's Pizza at the corner, into large dump trucks to be hauled away.

Demolition on East Huron Street near Division Street on Tuesday, June 4.

Daniel Brenner I AnnArbor.com

The description of the permit on the city's online permit-tracking website states: "Demo Building for Immediate Re-Development."

O'Neal Construction also applied for a building permit on March 21, but city records show the status of that permit listed as "on hold" for now.

The 413 E. Huron apartment building, controversial because it will tower over a historic neighborhood to the north, met the city's zoning requirements and so the City Council had no choice but to approve it, argued the majority of council members who OK'd the project last month.

But following months of intense lobbying, protest, community debate, and hours of public hearings and deliberations, council members' failure to stop a project they didn't want to approve at least not as presented has raised questions about the city's downtown zoning.

Residents continued to speak out against the project at Monday night's council meeting, calling the project's approval a failure of the city's zoning and development approval process.

Ann Arbor resident Peter Nagourney said a majority of council members erred when they cited fear of losing a potentially costly lawsuit as their reason for not stopping the project.

Original post:
Demolition paves way for controversial 413 E. Huron development

Demolition Fort Myers http://www.affordabledemolitionswfl.com 239-333-7678
Demolition Fort Myers http://www.affordabledemolitionswfl.com 239 333 7678.

By: Logan Lockwood

See the article here:
Demolition Fort Myers http://www.affordabledemolitionswfl.com 239-333-7678 - Video

Demolition Cape Coral http://www.affordabledemolitionswfl.com 239 333 7678
Demolition Cape Coral http://www.affordabledemolitionswfl.com 239 333 7678.

By: Logan Lockwood

Go here to read the rest:
Demolition Cape Coral http://www.affordabledemolitionswfl.com 239 333 7678 - Video

Demolition of blighted Toledo homes reaches 460
Lucas County Land Bank continues to demolish blighted and abandoned homes throughout Toledo. Follow WNWO on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/northwestohio Follow WNWO on Twitter: http://www.twit...

By: WNWOtv

Link:
Demolition of blighted Toledo homes reaches 460 - Video

Dome demolition
It #39;s the end of an era for a Perth landmark with Burswood Dome set to be demolished next month. Crown Perth says the venue #39;s become too expensive to run, planning to replace it with parking...

By: ten

Read this article:
Dome demolition - Video

Paulson Stadium Scoreboard Demolition
Georgia Southern University prepares to build a new Football Operations Center and expand Paulson Stadium. Crews had to demolish the scoreboard to begin the ...

By: GeorgiaSouthernUniv

More:
Paulson Stadium Scoreboard Demolition - Video

EliteStormTroOper vs eSp3RiEnZ|11-4|PowerPlant Demolition|

By: TheFurious217

See the original post:
EliteStormTroOper vs eSp3RiEnZ|11-4|PowerPlant Demolition| - Video