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Struthers condemns building at center of downtown code enforcement fight
Notice from city gives owner 30 days to make necessary repairs
STRUTHERS
The city has condemned a downtown building in its continuing effort to have the structure demolished.
On Feb. 19, Struthers sent Michael Gabriel, the owner of 108 S. Bridge St., a notice condemning the building.
The notice states: “The building has noticeable structural failures and severe delamination of the brick exterior walls. The delamination has compromised the integrity of the remaining brick exterior walls, and the outside of the building or structure is structurally insufficient. The building has noticeable torsional buckling, and the building is encroaching on the City’s right-of-way as a result of the structure beginning to lean away from the property’s boundary lines.”
The notice gave the property owners 30 days to make the necessary repairs to the building or it would be seized by the city and demolished.
All occupants in the building were also ordered out within 72 hours of the letter. Gabriel’s father lived in the building.
On March 8, Gabriel filed to appeal the condemnation.
The appeal will be ruled on by the city’s board of building appeals, which, according to Mayor Terry Stocker, doesn’t actually exist yet.
“We’re still establishing the board. It’ll be made up of members of the public so they can be impartial in their rulings,” Stocker said.
He said the board didn’t exist before because there hadn’t been previous appeals.
Michael Gabriel Sr., the father of the building’s owner, said he has hired a contractor to begin repairs on the building’s overhang and that he plans to invest further to meet the city’s standards.
The elder Gabriel said he wanted to help his son save the building.
“Hey, why not. I’ll be helping to save a building that has been in the family since the mid 1970s. I like that,” Gabriel said.
At this point, Gabriel is making repairs at his own risk; if the repairs he’s making on the building don’t meet the standards and deadline mandated by the city, the building could still be demolished despite his investment.
Struthers Law Director John Zomoida said that if the city deems Gabriel has made a good faith effort into restoring the building and shows significant improvement to its condition, it could consider staying the building’s demolition, but he stressed the city has no obligation to take that action.
The city has blocked off the sidewalk adjacent to the structure out of concern that falling bricks could hit pedestrians.
The elder Gabriel contends the measures are unnecessary and that his building is far from crumbling in the way characterized by the city, but Robert Norris, the city’s safety service director, said the barriers are necessary to protect the city from liability in the event of an injury.
The effort to demolish the building is concurrent with the city’s recent push to improve its downtown corridor and attract new investment in the area.
Stocker has previously noted that the city is interested in either selling or forcing improvements – or, in some cases, demolitions – at 108 S. Bridge St., the Eagle Antiques building and at the building that once housed Los Gallos and The Cellar.