KINGWOOD — Bids will be opened next month on demolition of a downtown building council has tried to get cleaned up for more than a year.
Sealed bids will be accepted until 7 p.m. Nov. 13 to remove 146 S. Price St. Bid packets will be available at city hall.
The owner of the building donated it to the town after council started action last year to have the building repaired or demolished. The update came at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Council also received an update on another building downtown. Mayor Jean Guillot said the owner of the Herring Building, at the intersection of Main (W.Va. 7) and Price, has hired a contractor to remove loose stone and other material from the facade. Work is to begin by the weekend.
Council had threatened action against the owner if something wasn’t done to alleviate the hazard of falling debris. Guillot said the owner plans to put scaffolding up later to catch debris.
Councilman Mike Lipscomb said the building permit for the current repairs is for $1,000 work, so not a lot can be done. And Councilman Josh Fields asked if this work will enable the town to remove a fence blocking the sidewalk on the W.Va. 7 side of the building?
City Supervisor Bruce Pyles said with freezing and thawing, there’s no way to be sure.
“It’s not fixing the problem, it’s just prolonging it,” Fields said. “We forced some action, and she’s taking partial action. If it doesn’t make it safe enough to unblock the sidewalk, then we need to give another deadline that the scaffolding needs to be up by a certain date.”
Recorder Bill Robertson noted the metal fire escape on the Main Street side of the building is rusting and appears ready to fall. Council asked that the matter remain on the agenda for the next meeting.
Guillot also noted that metal is “flapping” on the side of a partially demolished mobile home at Rodeheaver Trailer Park. Council directed that a clean up notice be sent to the property owner.
Also Tuesday, council:
declared Monday Lights on After School Day. After School Explorers and Project Success will be at the Craig Civic Center 5-7:30 p.m. Monday to celebrate. Events will include Touch A Truck, more than 40 STEM related activities , free books, concessions, cake walks, truck voting and dime toss.
Robertson said the state’s final order on Kingwood’s acquisition of Public Service District 2 was issued Oct. 11. Now the city must ask the county commission to extend Kingwood’s service area and dissolve PSD 2.
was told by the mayor the city attorney is working on a response to the state’s request that Kingwood take over maintenance on Hospital Hill.
learned from Pyles that a city truck needed a new turbo. The part was about $2,000 for the 1999 Freightliner, Pyles said.
