TROY — UPDATE:
The city of Troy has issued a response after the results of a court-ordered structural assessment have been released.
Troy Mayor Robin Oda issued a statement saying in part “Mr. Geers’ opinion is not a surprise, since the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals concluded the same back in 2021 when they were granted the Certificate of Appropriateness to allow demolition. As of today, we now have eight structural engineering reports. We hope the Court sees fit to resolve this issue now and its expert has weighed in and hopefully a lawyers’ conference on September 22nd will provide a quick decision.”
Oda added until the chief building official modifies his orders, West Main Street will remain closed in the area.
News Center 7 reached out to representatives for the current owner of the building for a statement.
“We do not have any comments on the briefs or the engineer’s report which clearly speaks for itself.” the spokesperson said.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Business owners frustrated by drawn-out dispute over historic Troy Tavern
INITIAL REPORT:
An engineer has completed their structural assessment of a Troy building which has been the center of a months-long legal battle.
Daniel Geers, of Jezerinac Geers & Associates, Inc. inspected the building on Aug. 18 and was to submit his report to a Miami County Common Pleas Judge.
In the 24-page report submitted Monday, Geers details his findings of the property’s north and south buildings.
In mid-June, the city’s chief building inspector and fire chief determined that the Tavern Building was unsafe. That ruling closed West Main Street to pedestrian and vehicle traffic between Plum and Cherry Streets.
A judge denied an immediate request to demolish the historic building, requesting a structural assessment by Geers.
While Geers notes the brickwork protected from the elements is in “good condition”, where the brick has been exposed will need “extensive evaluation.”
A similar evaluation was made for the floor structure in the buildings.
The structures that have been exposed to moisture and the elements will likely need “to be completely removed and replaced”, he states.
>> RELATED: Court order stops repair work on wall of historic Tavern Building on West Main in Troy
While historic buildings usually do not need to adhere to current building codes, since the damage to the Troy Tavern building was a result of wind damage it will need to meet the current wind load provision of the Ohio Building Code, Geers states.
“These are simply old buildings that were very well built for their time but have sustained storm damage and unfortunately not been cared for in recent years,” Geers said.
He adds the buildings have “likely reached the ends of their useful service life” and restoring them to their original condition would be likely “economically unfeasible”.
“It would be challenging to convert them to a different use under the current Ohio Building Code, without incurring more expense that it would take to tear them down and construct completely new buildings,” he concludes.
A hearing has been scheduled for all parties in the lawsuit on Sept. 22.