Coming down

One downtown building is coming down.

The city has bids to demolish another.

Portland Board of Works on Thursday awarded the job to demolish the Bailey Building on Main Street on the west side of the downtown area and opened bids to take down the former Hunts building on Meridian Street.

JAShroyer Group of Muncie was the lone bidder for the demolition of the Bailey Building, 201 through 205 W. Main St., which is blighted and has been the subject of discussion amongst city officials for years. The board opened the bid — $295,000 — at its Sept. 7 meeting and took it under advisement to allow time to review it.

With city attorney Wes Schemenaur indicating there were no issues with the bid, board members Jerry Leonhard, Steve McIntosh and Mayor John Boggs, who attended the meeting remotely, voted unanimously to award the project to JAShroyer Group.

The bid specs call for the demolition to begin within 30 days. The demolition is to be completed 10 days after work begins. (The specs also require the firm to dispose of asbestos and to remove rubble from the demolition.)

Eric Welch, attorney for adjacent bar/restaurant The Greazy Pickle, requested a meeting with JAShroyer Group to discuss the demolition in order to ensure that the common wall between the two structures will be preserved. Schemenaur asked city clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips to arrange the meeting.

The board also opened bids for the demolition of the former Hunts building, 208 and 210 N. Meridian St. Bids came in at $150,000 from WEU Corporation of Portland and $249,000 from JAShroyer Group.

The bids were taken under advisement to allow board members and Schemenaur time to review them.

The building was declared unsafe in August, at which point owner Juan Marentes had 30 days to tear down the building or otherwise mitigate its issues to make it safe before the city could take further action.

Regarding the former Hunts building, LeeAnn Miller of the adjacent future home of Reclaiming Design, asked that when a bid is awarded the firm involved communicate with her construction team. Miller has been renovating the building to the south and said her contractor, Bruns Construction, indicated a desire to complete roof and masonry work in tandem with the demolition to ensure that the building is safe and water-tight.

Miller also noted that her building’s adjoining wall with the former Hunts building is likely soft brick that will need to be made weather-proof. She asked that the city help with the cost of any such work that might be necessary.

Leonhard said he agreed with her sentiment that the city should be financially involved in that process.

Schemenaur advised the board to wait until the process moves along to take any further action on Miller’s request.

In other business, the board:

•Following a question from WPGW’s Rob Weaver, received an update on the timeline for the ongoing Meridian Street storm sewer project. Phillips said the underground work on Meridian Street is expected to be complete by the end of next week with paving to follow beginning Oct. 16. Watson Excavating of Redkey will then shift to work on lateral lines that are part of the project. The work is expected to be complete by the end of November.

•Heard Fifer Services owner Chad Fifer, who is in the process of purchasing the former Sheller Globe south site at 510 S. Bridge St. to put in a saw mill, ask the board of works members review the proposed contract for the sale. He contended that he should not have to take the responsibilities that are being presented in the contract. Schemenaur explained that an initial contract — the city hired environmental law firm Plews Shadley Racher & Braun of Indianapolis to assist — was sent to Fifer’s attorney April 7. He said he received proposed amendments to the contract Sept. 12. He said he and Chris Braun of Plews Shadley Racher & Braun are reviewing those proposals and will communicate with Fifer’s attorney. He said once there is an agreement that’s acceptable it will be presented to the board.

•Approved three changes orders for the Blaine Pike paving and walking path project totaling $18,181.41. The changes involve an increase in need for materials via a change made by Indiana Department of Transportation (it is paying for 80% of the project via federal grant funding), a modified manhole near the intersection with Bittersweet Lane and power pole relocations.

•Heard from Blaine Pike resident Tim Sheffer, who visited Monday’s city council meeting to raise concerns about the grade of the slope between the street and the paved trail in front of his home. Dan Gibson of engineering firm Beam, Longest and Neff of Indianapolis agreed that the slope is currently too steep but said the issue will be resolved when the project is complete. “We will make this right,” he said. Board of works members asked to be updated on the status of the issue.