Thursday, August 3, 2023
In an on-going effort to keep our downtown businesses, residents and visitors informed as to the latest status of the West Main Street closure, we are providing a weekly update each Wednesday until the Cherry Street to Plum Street block is opened back up to vehicles.
CURRENT STATUS AS OF ABOVE DATE
On July 27, 2023 Troy Community Works (TCW), a local community development non-profit corporation, expressed a willingness, under certain conditions, to coordinate a multi-party project to renovate the Tavern Building. Those conditions included the owner donating the building, as well as financial contributions towards stabilization of the building by the owner ($50,000), the City of Troy ($50,000), the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance ($50,000) and $25,000 each from Evil Empire and Cheryl Cheadle. TCW also asked for 30 days to complete due diligence, as well as a free and clear title. They wanted the City to dismiss all criminal complaints on the building and the Chief Building Official (CBO) and Fire Chief to rescind their demolition certification. The following day, the owners of the Tavern Building declined to participate in any capacity, citing the adjudication orders and subsequent correspondence by the CBO and Troy Fire Chief that confirm that repairs are not an option.
On August 1, 2023, the Court’s appointed Structural Engineer Daniel Geers provided two dates for an inspection of the Tavern Building. Unfortunately, his two alternative dates of August 16 and 18 are another two weeks from today. City staff will be available on whichever date is chosen by all parties but Mayor Oda is strongly encouraging action sooner.
“There is clear confusion about just how urgent this situation is. The Chief Building Official and Fire Chief have clearly stated that the building is so unsafe and dangerous that it must be demolished immediately. That’s why I ordered West Main Street closed from Plum to Cherry Streets. Not doing so would have been considered negligent and irresponsible. Yet, here we are five and a half weeks after the Court declared the need to get its own expert and we are now looking at the possibility of this building sitting dangerously empty for even longer,” stated Mayor Oda. She continued: “This is totally unacceptable to our residents, our downtown business owners, and those who travel our busiest corridor. With a major road reconstruction project significantly disrupted and, more importantly, many downtown businesses negatively impacted, we need this process to move forward now – not another month, or more, from now.”
BACKGROUND
On June 16, 2023 the Miami County/Troy Chief Building Official (CBO), his Structural Engineer, as well as the Troy Fire Chief and Assistant Chiefs conducted an on-site inspection of the building located at 112-118 West Main Street, also known as the Tavern Building. As a result of that inspection, the CBO’s Structural Engineer determined “the possibility of collapse of the northern wall of this structure is a grave concern…it is obvious that this structure is beyond reasonable repair and should be demolished due to it being a safety concern for human life and potential damage to adjacent structures.”
Based on that report, the Miami County Prosecutor filed a court motion requesting the Judge to order the building demolished. The CBO and Fire Chief also certified “…that the demolition of [The Tavern Building] is required by public safety because of unsafe or dangerous conditions.” On June 24th, the City installed barricades at the intersections of West Main Street between Cherry and Plum Streets. That section of West Main Street remains closed to vehicular traffic, as well as to pedestrian traffic in front of the Tavern Building.
CONTACT
The City of Troy is committed to providing up-to-the-minute information regarding this unfortunate issue and will be monitoring its status and will post updates on our social media and websites. Contact (937) 335-1725 if questions.