PINE BLUFF — Pine Bluff leaders have fielded dozens of calls over the past several weeks from residents who are angry that a portion of Main Street still remains closed after a building partially collapsed this summer.
In response, the Pine Bluff City Council Development and Planning Committee is recommending that the full council vote on Dec. 1 to condemn the structure and order it torn down.
A portion of the 100-yearold, former Shriner building’s rear roof collapsed onto the third floor July 25, prompting an emergency response from city government. The building was vacant, and there were no injuries reported.
The city gave building owner Garland Trice 90 days to submit an action plan for the property, but that plan was deemed “inadequate” after an official review, said Jamin Ross, technical inspector for the Pine Bluff Planning and Zoning Department.
Trice said last month that he hoped to restore the structure, calling it a “downtown landmark.”
A message left for Trice was not returned Friday.
In his plan, Trice requested 30 days to clean debris, such as bricks and broken glass, from the ground around the building and 60 days to remove a portion of the third-floor walls. He also told city leaders that he would put a new roof on the structure.
However, no work has been done to shore up the structure since July. Because a significant portion of Main Street traffic has been rerouted in the meantime, Ross and members of the development and planning committee are recommending that the building be torn down.
All four lanes of Main Street in front of the building were closed immediately after the partial collapse out of fear that the rest of the building would soon follow. A structural engineer hired by Trice said the building wasn’t in danger of further collapse, and the northbound lanes between Sixth and Eighth avenues were reopened several weeks ago.
The southbound lanes, which are closest to the building, remain closed.
Bobby Davis, who owns a radiator repair shop directly across from the building, said his business has been affected by the lane closures.
“Folks from out of town come here, and they see the road blocked off — they think we are closed,” Davis said. “It’s a real mess.”
Pine Bluff Alderman Steven Mays said he has fielded numerous calls from constituents asking that something be done to reopen the lanes.
“People want this situation taken care of; they are tired of seeing Main Street closed,” Mays said.
Trice’s building is the second to collapse downtown this year.
In February, the rear section of an aging, two-story building at 401 S. Main St. fell. That building was also vacant, and there were no injuries reported. The rest of the building was taken down by construction crews a short time later, and final removal of the rubble occurred this summer.
Meanwhile, the city is dealing with two other vacant structures on Main Street that have been condemned and are in danger of collapse. Recent city inspections of the former Pine Bluff Band Museum at 423 S. Main St. and a former VFW Post at 417 S. Main St. found that those buildings are structurally weak and need to be torn down.
Ross said a schedule for the demolition work is still being developed. Orange barrels block one northbound lane of Main Street, along with the sidewalk in front of the structures, as a precaution.
The inspections are part of an effort by city officials to determine the structural integrity of older downtown buildings, Ross said.
A message left at the home of Marlene Davis-Lilly, who owns the former band museum, was not returned.
The Jefferson County tax assessor’s office said VFW Post 228 is listed as the owner of the building at 417 S. Main St., but Ross said the post no longer exists. A phone number listed for Post 228 is no longer in service.
The owners of buildings torn down by the city are responsible for all costs associated with the demolition, Ross said. The owners also have the option to hire their own contractors to do the work.
Other Arkansas cities are facing similar issues with derelict structures.
Rubble remains piled along Park Avenue in downtown Hot Springs eight months after the oldest part of the former Majestic Hotel was destroyed by a fire. The city razed the building shortly after the Feb. 27 blaze and has been working closely with Park Residences Development, which owns the property, on a cleanup plan.
Last week, the Hot Springs Board of Directors tabled a vote on a resolution to condemn the hotel after Hot Springs City Attorney Brian Albright suggested waiting until the property owner has reviewed the document.
In Jonesboro, Mayor Harold Perrin recently ordered the sidewalk closed in front of a former bank building downtown after safety concerns about the structure increased earlier this month. City officials removed exterior wall panels on the two-story building out of fear that parts of them could fall and harm pedestrians.