The Chandler City Council voted Tuesday to demolish the buildings located at 1214 and 1216 Manvel Ave.
It did not set a timeframe, but estimated it could cost between $120,000 and $200,000.
The Council determined that the buildings - in the state they are currently in - are a hazard to public safety. It was also noted that until the buildings were either demolished or repaired to a state where they were no longer deemed a hazard, the Lincoln County Animal Hospital, located at 1218 Manvel, could not occupy or work out of its building.
Code Enforcement Officer Scott Wintz reported on the decay and damage he found in both 1214 and 1216 when he accompanied Jacob Jones, an engineer from KFC Engineering on a Rapid Safety Evaluation. This was followed by a presentation from Rick Forest, principal engineer at the firm, which went into more details. He stated that while it was feasible for the buildings to be repaired, it would cost a lot of money. He couldn’t give an estimate.
Joe Carson, the lawyer representing the buildings’ owners - Larry Braswell and John Givens - asked that the Council give them time to make the necessary repairs. Braswell stated that he had not taken any action since March 25 as he was told by a worker at OG&E that there still might be power going through the lines that the metal roof is currently sitting on. He also spoke with an engineer to look at the buildings, but one hadn’t inspected them yet. He has filed an insurance claim.
The Council expressed concern over whether repairs would actually be made as the owners hadn’t done much to address the more serious issues. They also stated that there hadn’t been any communication from the owners on plans with the City.
Theresa McKinzie, who owns Lincoln County Animal Hospital, asked why updates to both buildings hadn’t been made by now.
“We’re going to talk about maybe someone wants to restore it. Why hasn’t it been done? Years and years. I was sent this morning an article from ‘The Corridor’. In 2016. It’s 2025. ‘We’re going to restore it.’ It has done nothing but deteriorate since that promise of ‘we’re going to restore it,’” she stated.
The emergency meeting on March 25 discussed the damage after a wind gust took off the metal roof from 1216 Manvel in the early hours of March 19, cutting off electricity to half of Chandler. It also damaged lines for COTC and AT&T customers. They could not vote or take action at that time.
Wintz said that he could not find any permits for any work done, except for a plumbing permit to install a gas line. Givens said at the March 25 meeting that he installed the metal roof about 25 years ago himself. At the meeting on April 8, he stated that he installed the roof 30 years ago.