Debris from collapsed buildings burdens PB officials

PINE BLUFF -- The Pine Bluff City Council held an emergency meeting Monday to decide what to do about the remains of two downtown buildings that collapsed Saturday, though no action was taken.

Pine Bluff Mayor Debe Hollingsworth proposed spending $240,000 from the city's reserve fund to hire A-Demolition to remove the debris in the 400 block of Main Street. The ordinance was read once, but an attempt to suspend the rules and have it read two more times and take a vote was denied by the City Council in a 6-2 vote.

All ordinances must be read three times before a vote can be taken, and typically they are read over the course of three different meetings before the City Council decides on the measure.

Hollingsworth said she asked council members to suspend the rules due to the urgency of the situation.

"It's disappointing," the mayor said of Monday's vote. "I had hoped that by calling this emergency meeting I could convey to the Council the sense of urgency we have with these buildings," the mayor said. "It's disappointing that nothing was done."

The former Band Museum and a vacant VFW post next door toppled at around 5 a.m. Saturday, spreading rubble along the sidewalk alongside Main Street. No one was injured, and the buildings, which shared a common wall, were vacant.

On Jan. 29, the Band Museum building's roof gave way, creating concern that a full collapse was imminent.

The southbound lanes of Main Street in front of the two collapsed buildings have been blocked with orange barrels for the past several months, and the museum building was condemned by the city more than two years ago, according to the Pine Bluff Planning and Zoning Department.

After this weekend's full collapse, the city has blocked off both north- and southbound lanes of Main Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues.

Alderman Steven Mays voted for advancing the ordinance Monday but said he wished the city had taken more time to discuss the issue before taking a vote.

"I found out today that the building was bought for only $5,000, and now we are talking about spending nearly $250,000 to tear it down," Mays said. "I'm continuing to find out more outside of meetings than in them, and that's not right."

Pine Bluff Alderman Thelma Walker, who voted against Monday's measure, said the buildings' owners should be held accountable for the cleanup, not the city.

"We do not have this kind of money to spend," Walker said. "We have to look out for the future of this city, and we just cannot afford to take on costs that should be someone else's burden."

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. Attempts to contact her Monday were unsuccessful.

After several years, the owners of the former VFW Post still have not been located by the city, Hollingsworth said.

Hollingsworth said Davis-Lilly and the Band Museum's former owners are in dispute over the property's title and that has hindered demolition efforts for years. If the city does decide to tear down the building, it will bill the owner for the work, the mayor said.

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 of the former Shriner's building at 623 Main St. collapsed. Last week, 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 issues and headaches for business owners in the area. The condemnation resolution gives Trice 30 days to tear down his building or the city will and place a lien on the property.

Hollingsworth said she wasn't sure Monday what the next step will be to clean up the most recent collapses.

"We are going to have to deal with this issue one way or another," the mayor said. "You have people affected by this, businesses, residents, and something has to be done. I'm just not sure at this point what that will be."

Some residents who have been outspoken on the issue of derelict buildings in the past expressed disbelief Monday that the City Council took no action to begin cleanup at the former Band Museum site.

Regina Gold, who drives Main Street daily to reach her job, said having two large sections of one of the city's most vital traffic arteries blocked off is "unacceptable."

"When are people in this city going to wake up and do something?" Gold asked. "What will it take for our city leaders to clean up our town and get rid of these dangerous old buildings? I just pray no one gets killed."

State Desk on 02/24/2015

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