City inspects Mills building for safety

    The City of Washington inspected the Mills Seed Building on Aug. 10 to check its structural integrity and general condition. Acting building and zoning official Dave Bruns and engineering technician Keith Henkel conducted the inspection and, together with City Engineer Rob McDonald, presented their findings and recommendations to the city council Wednesday. The building is owned by Jeremy Patterson and was moved to its current location on North Iowa Avenue in February.

    Bruns and Henkel reported that the Mills building has a number of structural deficiencies such as a rotten wooden beam, voids in the foundation where the floor joists are not supported and missing mortar from the brick walls.

    Concerning the brick walls, the report states, ?There were several spots in the interior of the building that the brick appears to be soft and weak to the point that the brick will turn to powder when you brush against it.?

    The three city officials also wrote that extensive tuck-pointing is called for because the mortar has fallen away from many of the bricks. They recommended that the main center floor beam be replaced or repaired and that documentation be given that a structural engineer has inspected the repairs and found them adequate. The report also states that all floor joists must be supported by the foundation.

    The report also mentions the sanitary conditions within the building. Bruns and Henkel documented paper, cardboard and trash on all interior floors, which the report states is a concern because it could become a breeding area for vermin.

    They also wrote, ?In the restroom of the building, someone has used the toilet without the sewer or water connected. This is unsanitary and needs to be cleaned up.?

    Bruns and Henkel noted that when they inspected the building, there were two individuals working at the site. They wrote that the two individuals were blocking up the voids in the foundations, and that some holes around the base of the building have been filled since the Aug. 10 inspection. Bruns and Henkel wrote that work on the concrete block was being done on the date of the report, which was Wednesday. Bob Fogle, whose company has been contracted to install the concrete block, said the foundation would be finished early next week.

    The report indicates that the city will conduct another inspection after Aug. 25, with the owner present. To date, the city has sent Patterson two notices concerning the condition of the Mills building. The first was sent May 28 after the city inspected the building and its former location on North Seventh Avenue. Bruns, Henkel and McDonald wrote that when the third inspection is done sometime after Aug. 25, the city should determine what deficiencies remain and what penalties should be assessed.

For the full story, see the Aug. 19 edition of The Washington Evening Journal