Issues with collapsed building raised before council

    The future of the collapsed building on South Marion Avenue off the square was discussed at the Washington City Council meeting Wednesday night. The council heard from Sergey Floryanovich, who owns a dentist?s office that shares the north wall of the collapsed building. The site was once home to the grocery store ?La Cruz? before collapsing during remodeling in 2006. Floryanovich has been in his current office for two years, and told the council that it is time to do something about the vacant lot, which he said has become an eyesore and a health hazard. 

    ?When it rains, my building leaks,? he said. ?The building is still a hazard to my patients and my workers. We see raccoons, rats and mice in there. We?re running a health care business right next to that big hole. It would be nice if something would be done. When my new patients come in, they ask me, ?Serge, what is going on there?? This is part of the face of the city of Washington. It does not look very presentable.?

    John Helscher, the former owner of the dentist?s office now owned by Floryanovich, was the owner at the time of the collapse. He questioned the council about the progress it has made on cleaning up the site since the city purchased the building last fall.  

    ?About four years ago, I was sitting in my office and I thought we were having an earthquake,? recalled Helscher. ?The two or three buildings south of us were declared uninhabitable. There were meat coolers full of meat. There were all kinds of perishable things that, over the course of the next summer and fall, became quite a problem. The city took over ownership last fall, and said at the time they were going to do something with it. Meanwhile, the sidewalk is still blocked off.?

    Mayor Sandra Johnson said the city and Main Street Washington will meet with a structural engineer Tuesday at noon in the Chamber of Commerce building. She said they will talk about the cost of rehabilitating the site, so that it can once again be a welcoming location to do business.  

    ?It is not the city?s task to redevelop the property,? said Johnson. ?That will be up to the private sector. We also have concerns about that block, and we do want to move forward.?

    Resident Anthony Mondia addressed the council about a problem he is having with a neighbor on his street. Mondia lives in the 500 block of South Avenue C, and said that his sidewalk is constantly wet from an upstream neighbor who pumps water from his basement.  

For the full story, see the July 22 edition of The Washington Evening Journal