TROY — The safety of a historic building in Troy is currently being debated.
The Tavern building on W. Main Street has been at the center of controversy for months and a decision on what to do about it could be coming soon.
“There’s times where fixing things up is worth is, there’s time when fixing things up is a big waste of money,” William Richard, of Troy, told News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott.
Richard said he’d like to see the city and the building’s owner do something with the building that is “useful.”
Right now, the building is blocked off, considered to be unsafe and dangerous, according to Troy’s City Director Patrick Titterington.
Titterington said he could not speak on camera with McDermott, but sent a certification signed this week by Troy’s fire chief, Matthew Simmons, and Miami County Chief Building Official, Rob England. From their inspection, the building is “beyond repair and should be demolished as soon as possible.”
Martin Stewart, a board member of the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance, said his organization has seen “no evidence, no proof of that.”
“That engineer found that the building is in excellent condition,” Stewart said as he provided McDermott with a separate report that said they found the building to be structurally sound and that repairs would be needed.
According to Norton Engineering, repairs would cost an estimated $54,000.
If the building remains, long-term repairs could be nearly $900,000.
Even with the fire chief stating in his report that “structural issues render the building unsafe for firefighting operations,” Stewart said the building should be preserved.
>> RELATED: Repairs ordered, demolition remains halted at historic Troy building
“The other alternative is to destroy this perfectly solid piece of Troy’s history and put up god knows, McDonald’s or something,” he said.
In a statement sent to News Center 7 Wednesday afternoon, Jamie Greer, an attorney for the building’s owner, said the property “has been under contract to be redeveloped as a boutique hotel upon demolition.”
Greer also said the city’s “new position requesting emergency demolition is in direct conflict with the City’s past request for an injunction preventing further demolition of the structure.”
The building’s owner is working “diligently” toward a settlement with the city involving a donation of the building, but claims the “cost-prohibitive nature of the repairs required to make the structure safe” is why the city has not taken him up on his offer.
“Even though the fate of the building is unclear, the owner remains committed to finding a true ‘win-win’ solution for the people of Troy,” Greer said.
A judge is expected to make a final decision on whether to demolish the building or not soon.
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