City buys collapsed building

    The collapsed building in the 200 block of South Marion Avenue in Washington just moved one step closer to becoming city property. The owners of 207 and 209 S. Marion Ave., Alfonso and Julia Raymundo, signed a contract Friday to sell the property to the city for $12,300. The Raymundos signed the document one day after it was signed by City Administrator Dave Plyman and reviewed by City Attorney Craig Arbuckle.

    The only hurdle left to jump before the city takes ownership is the completion of the abstract on the property. Plyman said that, if the abstract is completed this week, the city could take ownership of the property next week.

    An abstract is a document describing the history of a piece of property and all of the proceedings related to it. Plyman said the abstract is updated every time the property changes hands, and that this is a common formality when dealing with real estate transfers.

    ?In real estate, you really have to dot your ?i?s? and cross your ?t?s,?? said Plyman.

    The building once housed the Raymundos? convenience store, ?La Cruz.? In Oct. 2006, the building collapsed during renovation, forcing the Raymundos to move their business to Second Street.  

    Charla Howard, the Raymundos? real estate agent, said her clients will be relieved once it?s all over.

    ?They just want to move on with their lives,? said Howard.

For the full story, see the Oct. 26 edition of The Washington Evening Journal