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City orders action on burned-out store

SHANNON ALLISON PHOTOGRAPHY/FOR THE EXPRESS This aerial photo reveals the top story of the burned-out former furniture store on Bellefonte Avenue. This extensive damage cannot be seen from the street because of the store’s facade. The former Town Tavern stands on its right and a building with storefronts on its left. Behind and to the left of the photo is Covenant United Methodist Church’s educational wing. First National Bank is across the avenue, at top right.

SHANNON ALLISON PHOTOGRAPHY/FOR THE EXPRESS This aerial photo reveals the top story of the burned-out former furniture store on Bellefonte Avenue. This extensive damage cannot be seen from the street because of the store's facade. The former Town Tavern stands on its right and a building with storefronts on its left. Behind and to the left of the photo is Covenant United Methodist Church's educational wing. First National Bank is across the avenue, at top right.

LH Burn _SAP-2

By WENDY STIVER

wstiver@lockhaven.com

LOCK HAVEN — The former Heilig-Meyers furniture store at 37-41 Bellefonte Ave., near the monument, was gutted in a dramatic fire on Dec. 16, 2016.

It is hard to tell from the street how bad things really are, because the top story of the building is hidden by a still-standing facade. Behind that facade, however, the top of the building no longer exists. The roof is completely gone.

Little, if anything, has been done with the burned-out structure since the blaze.

The section of Willard’s Alley alongside it remains closed, and an orange safety barrier discourages pedestrians from using the sidewalk.

Now that a year has passed, the owner has been told he must take action — and soon.

The city issued a demolition order two weeks ago, on Dec. 19, which was one year and three days after the fire, reports Cyndi Walker, Lock Haven’s code and zoning officer.

The order was issued to David Mayes, the owner of record, and to any interested parties identified with a financial interest in the property, according to Assistant City Manager Gregory J. Wilson. Mayes has until Friday, Jan 12 “to take the necessary steps to make the facility compliant,” he said.

This essentially means Mayes has been ordered to demolish the building, Walker said, and he now has less than two weeks to do it. Any other solution for the building does not seem possible at this time.

What if the building is still standing on Jan. 13?

City Manager Richard W. Marcinkevage said, “If the owner does not comply, that’s a bridge we have to cross.”

According to Walker, the city could begin the process of razing the building itself. This would be an extra expense for the city, a cost it may not be able to recoup anytime soon, if ever.

The city has had a structural engineer go through the old store, the city manager said. Marcinkevage and Walker also ventured inside it at the same time.

What is left of the second floor is open to the sky and covered with six to eight inches of ash, Marcinkevage said. The first floor and the basement, with 18,000 square feet of showroom space, were in good shape structurally, he said, noting that the basement was one of the better ones in the business district in the days the store was open.

Unfortunately, he said, because nothing has been done with the building for more than a year, there are likely to be problems with water damage and mold.

The conclusion: it is not economically viable to fix the building.

The engineer’s report was sent to the city’s attorney to help determine a feasible course of action for the city, Marcinkevage said. The demolition order was drafted.

In the months after the fire, Mayes was communicating with the city. Last February, he said he was considering more than one option for the property.

Nothing has been done and the building has continued to deteriorate.

Since the fire, a section of one of its walls has fallen on Covenant United Methodist Church and damaged power lines.

The church, at 44 W. Main St., escaped major problems during the blaze, thanks to the heroic efforts of local firefighters. It did have some damage, including to its heating system, its courtyard garden, windows in its educational wing, and the power lines. The church has had interior repairs made, but the exterior problems can’t be worked on until the old store is either demolished or repaired, a church spokesman has told city council.

“It really makes you understand how good a job the fire companies did, especially concerning the church,” Marcinkevage said. “You can almost reach from this building to the roof of the church. It was really really… an excellent job by the fire companies of preventing anything else from burning.”

Neighboring storefronts on Bellefonte Avenue were damaged by smoke but have since reopened.

The deadline in the demolition order is looming, and its looks like the city will, indeed, have to cross that bridge. Just how to cross it, and what is on the other side, apparently haven’t been decided yet.

The city solicitor will be consulted before the next step, Walker said.

(Marcinkevage will retire Jan. 8, the date of the first city council meeting this year.)

TOWN TAVERN

Across Willard’s Alley from the burned-out store is the former Town Tavern, a building that has been shuttered since 2011 and that has already cost the city money.

This building is also deteriorating.

In 2014, part of a rear wall crumbled into the alley. The building’s ownership was unclear at that time, so the city stepped in and had work done to make it safe for passers-by.

The building was stabilized and it is still stable, according to Marcinkevage, even with the sizeable hole in its roof.

Walker said, “We have no reason to believe there is any imminent danger.”

But the city may have to address this large building in the future as well, if it continues to deteriorate, according to Marcinkevage.

This building is also reportedly owned by David Mayes.

THE FALLON

The historic Fallon Hotel, at 131 E. Water St., has been in decline for years. Owned by Terry and Delores Mantle, it has been called an eyesore.

Last month, the heating system went out, forcing the Mantles to close it. Before that problem came up, the hotel had five tenants and included a bar that was open to the public.

The original section of the Fallon was built in 1855.

The city has kept an eye on the building and had a structural engineering study done on it a few years ago. The hotel passed that study, as well as the city’s required rental inspection. It is up for inspection again this year.

The city sees no action required on the Fallon at this time, Marcinkevage said.

“It has areas that are not open to the public and are not in use. You can see they don’t look very nice. But since they are not open to the public, we don’t have any reason to do anything with them. And there are no violations there from our perspective,” he said.

There are still no violations now that the heat is not working and the building has been vacated, Walker said.

The hotel was in violation, however, when soffit was missing around the roof, she said. Birds could take advantage of the situation and move into the upper floors.

However, the owners have cooperated and addressed that problem, she said.

Lock Haven Mayor William E. Baney III has stated publicly that the Fallon is not a pleasing sight.

When asked about it this week, he said, “As bad as it looks, we are very limited on what we can and can’t do regarding violations. If a violation comes to City Hall, the staff addresses it with the owners. The Fallon has been responsive.”

He added, “They did notify the city they had an issue with the heating plant… Every time a violation comes up, the owners do something about it.”

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