Downtown demo

Another downtown building will come down.

Portland Board of Works on Thursday awarded a contract for the demolition of 208 and 210 N. Meridian St. to JAShroyer Group.

The board also selected Dynamic Business Solutions of Portland to install equipment for livestreaming and recording meetings in council chambers at Portland Fire Department.

The board of works opened bids — $249,000 from JAShroyer Group and $150,000 from WEU — for the demolition of the building in October. However, WEU did not supply the required credentials and certificate of liability insurance.

Following the bid opening, the board agreed to a request to pause the process in order to allow Portland Redevelopment Commission more time to study the building and consider whether it would be feasible to rehabilitate the building. After having engineers and architects look at the building, the redevelopment commission decided Monday that the estimated costs are prohibitive. (Estimates came in around $700,000.)

Board of Works members Jerry Leonhard, Steve McIntosh and Mayor Jeff Westlake voted unanimously Thursday to award the demolition project to JAShroyer Group, which in the interim dropped its price to $185,000 because it is already in the city for the demolition of the Bailey Building on Main Street. Clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips said she’d expect demolition to begin in mid-to-late February.

A handful of questions and concerns were raised during the meeting, including LeeAnn Miller asking about ownership of the shared wall between her building and the structure to be demolished.

(She is renovating the adjacent building at 206 N. Meridian St. to be the new home of her business Reclaiming Design.) She said she believes she should own the shared wall.

The members of the board of works agreed with that assessment, as did Jay/Portland Building and Planning director John Hemmelgarn. He also noted that he expects the wall that will be exposed will be exterior brick, as Miller’s building was constructed eight years prior to 208 and 210 N. Meridian St.

“With Shroyer taking apart how they took everything apart (with the Bailey Building) in a far worse situation than what you have, I feel pretty confident for you that it’s going to work out real well,” said Hemmelgarn.

The board also briefly discussed funding for repairs that might be needed to the north wall of Miller’s building following the demolition, with clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips reiterating city attorney Wes Schemenaur’s feeling that the city should take a "wait-and-see" approach. (The board of works approved up to $20,000 for potential repairs to the east wall of the The Greazy Pickle bar and restaurant, which was adjacent to the Bailey Building.)

Kayla Darby, who owns Deer Park Boutique at 204 N. Meridian St., asked about the area that would be cordoned off during construction. Mike Weitzel added that Pit’s Cocktail Lounge, 214 N. Meridian St., should be considered as well. Phillips said she would speak with Stan Shroyer of JAShroyer Group and communicate plans with the businesses in the area.

Leonhard, McIntosh and Westlake also awarded the contract to install livestreaming and recording equipment in council chambers to Dynamic Business Solutions of Portland at a cost of $29,459.98. The company was the low bidder for the work, with the other two bids both coming in above $66,000.

Phillips noted that Dynamic Business Solutions installed the equipment for livestreaming and recording meetings in the auditorium at Jay County Courthouse.

“I’ve been up to the courthouse. I’ve had (county auditor) Emily (Franks) run me through how they do things,” she added. “It seems pretty straightforward.”

House Bill 1167, approved during the 2023 Indiana General Assembly legislative session, requires that state and local government agencies livestream public meetings and archive recordings as well as meeting agendas, minutes and memoranda and make them accessible to the public for at least 90 days.

The board also agreed that Leonhard would continue to serve as its representative on the Jay/Portland Building and Planning board of directors.