Fremont collapse to cost town $10,000
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on April 22, 2018 3:05 AM
jpitchford@newsargus.com
The cleanup from a building collapse in downtown Fremont will cost the town more than $10,000, town administrator Barbara Aycock said at the town's Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night.
The roof of the building, at the corner of Main and Sycamore streets, collapsed on the morning of April 10, leading to both streets being shut down nearby. Because the company which owns the building, Warren Childress Enterprises, filed for bankruptcy several years ago, the town is now saddled with the cost of repairing it, Aycock said.
"This building was in a corporation, and the owner has filed bankruptcy on the corporation, so this building and the cost will end up being the town's," she said. "Our lawyer is going to send him a certified letter asking him to do the right thing, either pay the cost or donate the land to the town. We would rather have the money, but I don't know if that's going to happen."
Warren Childress -- the man, not the company -- said that he sold ownership of the building to the corporation bearing his name six months ago. He said the company, which he is a part of, is likely to cede the land to the town rather than pay for the demolition project.
"That is looking like the prevailing idea," he said.
The cost of demolishing the building was not included in the town's budget, so the board was forced to adopt a set of budget amendments in order to allocate money for the project. The first amendment included the money for the actual demolition project, while the second contained fees for professional consultation and other services related to the project, including legal counsel.
Those costs will not disrupt any ongoing projects or services, Aycock said Wednesday, but could mean that the town has to forgo some equipment purchases or projects in the future that would have been possible otherwise.
"We're just going to have to tighten our belt for a little while," she said. "Unless the owner paid for it, it'll be the taxpayers paying for it."
Alderwoman Joyce Artis voiced concern that other buildings in the area could be at risk of collapsing, as many have been unoccupied for years without the attention of their owners.
Aycock said that the owners of several nearby buildings have been repeatedly asked to tend to their properties, but have thus far neglected to do so. For the town to take over authority of those buildings, they would either need to be condemned or donated to the town, both of which can be lengthy processes, Aycock said.
After the collapse, Fremont Public Works Director Tim Howell flew a drone over the downtown area to check the condition of the buildings. Three -- town hall, the BB&T building and the building at 101 E. Main St. -- are in good condition, Howell said, while all the others are in need of varying levels of repair. One other structure in the same complex as the collapsed building was also condemned at the same time as the roof collapse, Aycock said.
The town is looking at several options for what to do with the lot once it is cleared off, including a grassy space with park benches, Aycock said.
"We're trying to turn a negative into a positive here," she said.