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Update: See brief from Tuesday's council meeting
Wayne White | Managing Editor
OSAGE CITY—Osage City’s downtown businesses could be
dealing with the aftermath of the March 1 fire for weeks to come.
The fire destroyed businesses at 529 and 531 Market, but neighboring
businesses that are open are seeing reduced traffic because of the
blocked street.
Osage City Manager Nick Hernandez said Tuesday the street will remain
closed until the burnt structures are demolished, due to the possibility
of collapse.
“We had an engineer look at it initially to see if we need
to keep that (portion of the) highway closed,” Hernandez said.
“We’ll have to keep it closed until the top half of
the front side of the building comes down. That’s what’s
keeping the road from being opened.”
He said he has conferred with Kansas Department of Transportation,
which is considering the entire width of the street in front of
the burned building as a fall zone, requiring the block to be closed
to traffic.
“KDOT does not want any traffic whatsoever,” he said.
“There’s no way to turn around in there without making
crazy turns, like J-turns or U-turns.”
He said that since the day after the fire, he has been in contact
daily with insurance company representatives to determine a demolition
date.
“We’re still trying to work with insurance agents to
get the owners to take care of it,” he said. “We’re
pushing them hard. Every day [the highway is] closed I get more
and more frustrated.”
He said the delay in demolishing the building is due in part to
the required safe handling of debris. It has been determined the
burnt buildings contain asbestos in ceiling tiles, flooring and
insulation.
“It’s going to take special care and handling to be
moved,” he said. The closest landfill that can accept the
debris is near Topeka.
Hernandez said the demolition and clean up is the responsibility
of the building owners, although the city has the option of conducting
the demolition. Hernandez planned to inform Osage City Council of
that option Tuesday evening, but he said he was not recommending
that action be taken.
“There’s possibility there may be some risk to the city,
if the city gets involved,” he said. “We can classify
it as an immediate threat, but if we do the cleanup, we’re
exposing ourselves.”
The city will receive 15 percent of any insurance payout for the
destroyed buildings, to be held in case the city has to take over
the demolition. If the building owners complete the cleanup without
the city’s involvement, the money will be refunded, Hernandez
said.
Until the demolition occurs, the detour around the block –
Market Street to Sixth Street to Main Street to Fifth Street –
will remain. Oversized loads are being routed on other highways
to avoid traveling through Osage City.
“There’s no time limit on how long it can be closed,”
Hernandez said.
In the meantime, downtown business owners are being allowed past
the barricades to load and unload deliveries, but no other traffic
is allowed in the one-block area.
“I want to get this resolved as quickly as possible but I
want to do it the right way,” Hernandez said. “So many
businesses have a strain put on them. It’s tough to see them
operating like that.” |
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