PINE BLUFF -- An ordinance proposing $240,000 in city funds to remove debris from two recently collapsed buildings in the 400 block of Main Street is to be read for the second time tonight at the Pine Bluff City Council meeting.
Aldermen heard the first reading last Monday during a specially called session, but an attempt to suspend the rules and have it read two more times and take a vote was denied in a 6-2 vote.
On Jan. 29, the former Band Museum building's roof gave way, creating concern that a full collapse was imminent. The museum and a vacant VFW post next door toppled about 5 a.m. Feb. 21, spreading rubble along portions of Main Street. The buildings were vacant, and no one was injured.
The southbound lanes of Main Street in front the buildings have been blocked off with orange barrels, and the museum building was condemned by the city more than two years ago, according to the Pine Bluff Planning and Zoning Department.
After the collapse, the city blocked off northbound and southbound lanes of Main Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues to prevent automobile and foot traffic in the area.
Pine Bluff Mayor Debe Hollingsworth said the situation is a public safety hazard and that the rubble must be dealt with immediately.
"Our city must take the lead on this. We have site locators visiting our city. They must see that we are taking responsibility and being proactive," the mayor said. "The city does have a moral and public safety issue concerning these two buildings. The safety of our public is first and foremost."
Most on the City Council say it should be the owners' responsibility to clear away the mess.
City records show that Marlene Davis-Lilly, who sits on the Pine Bluff Historic District Commission, owns the former Band Museum building but has done nothing to either shore it up or tear it down. After several years of trying, the owner of the former VFW post still has not been located by the city, Hollingsworth said.
Repeated attempts to contact Davis-Lilly have been unsuccessful.
Hollingsworth said Davis-Lilly and the Band Museum's former owners are in dispute over the property's title, which has hindered demolition efforts in recent years.
Hollingsworth said Davis-Lilly has told the city that she purchased the building without knowing it had been condemned and that the issue of ownership may have to be decided in court.
In the meantime, the mayor said tearing down the building is in the city's best interest. If the city does decide to tear down the building, it will bill the owner for the work, she added.
Most on the City Council disagree.
"We have so many buildings downtown that need attention. If we start focusing on tearing down buildings with taxpayer money, then other owners may feel that they are entitled to that same right," Pine Bluff Alderman Glen Brown Jr. said.
Alderman Thelma Walker made a similar comment, saying: "It's ridiculous for a city that doesn't have any money to foot the bill to tear down someone else's property. We cannot spend our money so haphazardly."
Pine Bluff leaders have struggled to deal with derelict buildings since this time last year, when a brittle structure fell at Fourth Avenue and Main Street, a few hundred yards from the Band Museum.
Then, in July, the rear roof on the former Shriner's building at 623 Main St. collapsed. Two weeks ago, the City Council voted to condemn the structure, which is owned by Pine Bluff resident Garland Trice.
A section of Main Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues that runs in front of Trice's building has been blocked off since the partial collapse, causing traffic problems and headaches for business owners. The condemnation resolution gives Trice 30 days to tear down his building or the city will move toward doing so and place a lien on the property.
Pine Bluff architect Dave Sadler said many downtown buildings weren't constructed with the best materials and that a lack of maintenance over the years is behind the recent collapses.
"If you don't shore these old buildings up properly and maintain them, they just won't survive over time," Sadler said.
Meanwhile, many residents and some downtown business owners are wondering what the next step will be to clean up the mess in the heart of Pine Bluff.
For 12 years, Robert English has owned Mid-South Music Co., which is just a few hundred yards from where the former Band Museum and VFW collapsed. He said there's only one answer for him: move.
"Even if this collapse had not happened, my building is in such bad shape that I would have had to leave anyway," English said. "I cannot justify putting $100,000 into this building when there is so little traffic downtown. And now in the middle of all this, we have even less traffic."
English said he isn't sure if he will even keep his business in Pine Bluff.
"All options are on the table at this point," he said.
State Desk on 03/02/2015