Council approves emergency abatement of 2 downtown buildings

Published 5:13 am Tuesday, July 12, 2022

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The Albert Lea City Council on Monday approved the emergency abatement of two downtown buildings that started partially collapsing about two weeks ago on the 300 block of Broadway.

The city has been working through requirements with the State Historic Preservation Office to remove the buildings, at 324 and 332 S. Broadway, since last fall. 

City staff have stated public safety is at risk because of the buildings. The city took possession of the buildings, which are joined into one storefront, under tax forfeiture with the understanding that demolition would be likely. 

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City building inspector Wayne Sorensen previously said problems with both buildings started with failing roofs, and being without heat for so long compounded the problems. 

The buildings are in severe disrepair, with collapsing interior floors and other structural damage. He said stairways on the back of both buildings have partially collapsed due to decades of poor roof maintenance, and last summer an entire room fell into the basement in the 332 building. 

The buildings also have extensive water damage from rain that continues through all floors, which in turn has generated extensive mold, and there are also broken windows.

The city moved the top part of the buildings’ facades in January to prevent bricks from falling onto the ground below.

Sorensen said part of the 332 S. Broadway building collapsed June 25, and there was additional debris that had collapsed when he was at the building July 5. Earlier Monday while at the buildings he found that part of the inner wall had a tilt to it, describing it as “quite the hazard.” 

City Manager Ian Rigg said city code allows the city to immediately abate properties that constitute a danger or hazard to the health and safety of the public. 

Because of the emergency nature involved in bringing the buildings down, the city will move swiftly forward with receiving bids but will not be going through the more timely formal bidding process, including publication of the demolition in the newspaper. 

“We’re doing what we can to speed this along and we hope to have the majority of the hazard remediated and abated by the middle of August and then substantial completion by the end of August,” Rigg said.

This timeline does not include the additional work needed to meet the requirements for the State Historic Preservation Office or to have the space ready for reuse.  

“This is just to simply bring it down and get it safe so it causes no further damage to the neighboring properties or it’s not a continued nuisance or a danger to the public,” Rigg said. 

He said they are contacting every company they can think of that could potentially handle the project and hope the companies can put together quick proposals for the city. Sorensen said they also plan to post the demolition on a website that most construction projects are listed on. 

Sorensen said he showed the property to a contractor earlier Monday and had another appointment for Tuesday. He said the hazardous inspection came back with more problems for the 332 building. The debris of that building will have to be treated for asbestos, while the other building will be cheaper for removal with fewer hazards.

There is also concern about how the demolition of the buildings will affect the neighboring buildings. 

“There’s going to be a lot of holding your breath and crossing our fingers,” Sorensen said and noted that the wall that joins with the former Broadway Theater will need cosmetic work when the building is down on that side. 

The demolition will be paid for with funds from the American Recovery Plan. 

Albert Lea Mayor Vern Rasmussen Jr. said in all of his time on the council this has been one of the most frustrating things he has had to deal with. 

“As a taxpayer myself, I know it’s very frustrating to me to have to pay our city taxes to take care of these types of problems because people don’t take care of their properties,” Rasmussen said. “I just ask all of us as citizens, when you see buildings getting in trouble, I think that it’s important that you let people know and start putting a conversation out there that this is important that as a community we take care of our properties and don’t let them get to this point.”

He said there are about 80 other properties in disrepair that the city is watching. When the buildings get to the point of having to be demolished the cost to take down homes is between $10,000 to $30,000, and it is even more to demolish larger buildings.

He noted there is little the city can do to recoup those costs. 

“I just think this is a bigger conversation we need to continue to have because the problem is not going away, and we’re going to have to address it more in the future,” he said.