By LINDA HARRIS
Businesses damaged by the demolition of another building last month asked Tuesday’s council for assistance in getting a contractor to reinforce a wall at risk of collapse until a permanent solution can be found.
The Fradds bought the building one week before the demolition crews accidentally collapsed the adjacent garage, destabilizing the structure and leading to a bowing brick wall.
She said that the inspectors also gave the property a pink slip by posting “DANGER-KEEP OUT” signs on its doors, giving the owner until September 1st to repair it or demolish it.
Both residential and commercial tenants have already vacated the property.
Fradd told council members that the purchase of the building was completed on 5 July and “the demolition took place” on 11 July.
Jefferson County Land Bank (the contractor) was responsible for the supervision of the demolition.
Fradd stated that their lawyer has attempted to contact both entities but, “they are just crickets.”
She told the council, “We don’t say it’s at all your fault.” Could you help us convince them to repair this building?” This beautiful, historic building should not be demolished. We want to restore it. Could you please help us to get this done now that the wall has been damaged?
Fradd and her husband, who run podcasts based on faith, plan to move their studio to the area.
When we first moved to Steubenville, Ohio 12 years ago we were eager to contribute to the community.
The couple had planned to create a recording space in the available area.
She replied, “We were aware that work was needed. The electrical was not up to standard, so we planned on redoing it. The building was a good investment. When a friend asked me, “Have You Checked on Your Building?,” it broke my heart. The garage adjacent to the Moose Lodge was demolished. I would be shocked if the building wasn’t damaged. This contractor friend we had called me.
She was shocked and horrified when she saw her garage destroyed.
She said, “There was an enormous hole where the garage once stood.” Not only was there material that fell on the house, but also the foundation of the garage continued to be removed by the company, while the floor joints were being taken out.
We just purchased a gorgeous, expensive building.
Alex Damewood, a structural engineer at the University of California San Diego’s School of Engineering and Architecture (UCSD), determined that the property “above the second-floor level” appears to be lateral destabilized. It also lacks an adequate connection to the framing of the floors in several places. Further distresses and movements could cause localized sudden failures and brittle fractures to the supported wall framing and the supporting floor framing.
Damewood recommended that the owner install retrofit bricks anchors at the second, third and the attic level to stabilize the wall. The anchors, they said, would stop the brick wall pulling away from other parts of the building by attaching it to structural framing on each level.
He said that in this case the contractor would be able to remove temporary bracing and demolish portions of wall which had been supported the garage wall. The foundation could then be reinforced with “flowable concrete fill”. “.
The city’s ‘fix-it-or-demolish-it’ order came to Fradd’s attention around 6 p.m. Friday when one of her tenants contacted her, saying there was no phone number they could call.
Mike Hernon, a councilman from the City of Toronto, had earlier told Jim Mavromatis that he wanted to speak with him “as quickly as possible”, and Urban Projects director Chris Petrassi about ways the city could improve their response.
Hernon stated, “I believe we can better communicate with our owners of business, despite the incident.”
He said: “It’s Land Bank Demolition, and there is a contractor hired, but I want to be sure that the city will stand by its part.”
Kimberly Hahn reminded the council she expressed concern three weeks earlier about the property of the fradds, given the collapsed garage that was between the building and that owned by the Moose. She was assured that there was no danger.
She said, “I was told there wouldn’t be any damage.” But I would like to know why the demolition was not stopped and an engineer looked at it.
She also said that she was “bothered”, because the only communication she received from the building department of the city was the pink slip.
She said, “It appears to me that at least we should change our response.” She said that if we didn’t provide a number for people to call outside of business hours, at least it would be brought into their homes and they could discuss it. Instead of telling them to solve the problem in 30 days, I think we should’ve asked, “How can we help facilitate the conversation between the Land Bank, the demolition company, and those who have insurance coverage to pay the bill?”
She said that the “approach” of the city needs to be changed.
Tracy McManamon believes that better communication will be key to the future, not only in this situation, but also with any other.
He said that 30 days was not long enough for the respondent to do so. This situation, which is so serious, needs to be dealt with better.
Hahn convened a planning committee meeting on Sept. 12, at 6 pm, to discuss with Pittsburgh leaders the Choice Neighborhood Grant process.
Residential restoration services are essential for reviving and preserving the beauty, functionality, and safety of your home. Over time, homes can face various challenges such as fire damage, water damage, mold growth, and general wear and tear. Residential restoration services provide comprehensive solutions to address these issues. They offer specialized expertise in fire and smoke damage restoration, water damage restoration, mold remediation, and structural repairs. By availing expert residential restoration services, you can efficiently recover from unexpected disasters and maintain a comfortable, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing living space for you and your family if you are interested in our services go here https://ncrestoration.ca/
