TROY — In an on-going effort to keep downtown Troy businesses, residents and visitors informed as to the latest status of the West Main Street closure, the city of Troy is providing a weekly update each Wednesday until the Cherry Street to Plum Street block reopened to vehicles.
The following is the current status sent in a press release from the city of Troy, as of Thursday, Oct. 12:
It has been 110 days since West Main Street, between Plum and Cherry Streets, was closed due to the grave concerns of collapse of the Tavern Building. On Sept. 11, the Common Pleas Court issued an entry publishing the opinion of its expert witness, Structural Engineer Daniel Geers. In that opinion, Geers did not communicate an opinion relative to the stability of the building. He did, however, state, the release said:
“If funds were not a concern, they [buildings including the Tavern Building] could be restored to their original condition, but this is likely economically unfeasible given the extent of the various deteriorations. Furthermore, the characteristics of these buildings are such that it would be challenging to convert them to a different use under the current Ohio Building Code, without incurring more expense than it would take to tear them down and construct completely new buildings.”
Part of the court’s entry, said the press release, included the scheduling of a lawyers’ conference, which was held on Sept. 22. That conference resulted in the court lifting several minor “stays” and ordering written briefs by Oct. 20 to determine whether the injunction denying demolition of the building should be lifted.
SCHEDULING UPDATE:
On Oct. 6, 2023, the Miami County prosecutor, on behalf of Miami County Chief Building Official Rob England (CBO) and his supervisor Rich Osgood, filed a motion to limit the scope of discovery and briefing regarding the renewed “emergency motion to dissolve agreed preliminary injunction.” On Oct. 10, the city of Troy filed a similar motion on behalf of Fire Chief Matt Simmon. The preliminary injunction currently prohibits the property owner from demolishing the building, in spite of the CBO’s declaration that the Tavern Building cannot be repaired and must be razed.
The court has added three weeks to the deadline for filing written briefs, extending the date from Oct. 20 to Nov. 10. Further, the court has set two scheduling conferences on all matters for Nov. 13 and Dec. 11.
BACKGROUND:
On June 16, 2023, the Miami County/Troy chief building official (CBO), his structural engineer, as well as the Troy Fire chief and assistant chiefs conducted an on-site inspection of the building located at 112-118 W. Main St., also known as the Tavern Building. As a result of that inspection, the CBO’s structural engineer determined “the possibility of collapse of the northern wall of this structure is a grave concern … it is obvious that this structure is beyond reasonable repair and should be demolished due to it being a safety concern for human life and potential damage to adjacent structures.”
Based on that report, the Miami County Prosecutor filed a court motion requesting the judge to order it demolished. The CBO and fire chief also certified “… that the demolition of (The Tavern Building) is required by public safety because of unsafe or dangerous conditions.” On June 24, the city installed barricades at the intersections of West Main Street between Cherry and Plum Streets. That section of West Main Street remains closed to vehicular traffic, as well as to pedestrian traffic in front of the Tavern Building.
CONTACT:
The city of Troy is committed to providing up-to-the-minute information regarding this unfortunate issue and will be monitoring its status and will post updates on our social media and websites. Call 937-335-1725 with any questions.
