Mark Lloyd, hearing officer for the City of Franklin unsafe building hearings, confirmed Aug. 20 that the city has issued an administrative order to demolish a deteriorating garage at the Campulissus property and will begin the steps needed to carry out the demolition unless the owner arranges private financing.

The order matters because the city plans to record the administrative order, run a title search, notify known interested parties including any mortgage holder, solicit public bids for the work and prepare a contract for execution by the Board of Public Works and Safety. The city’s senior planner said those steps could lead to the city hiring a contractor if the owner does not act.

Alex Schedchel, City of Franklin senior planner, told the hearing that the city has received the written administrative order and is preparing to record it at the recorder’s office. He said the next administrative steps include a title search to identify interested parties and notifying them, issuing a notice to proceed to public bids and soliciting a minimum of three contractors to perform the full scope of demolition work. Schedchel said the scope will include any required environmental or asbestos testing, obtaining a demolition permit, removing all material from the site and completing final grading and seeding. "We are definitely interested," Schedchel said, adding the city would prepare a short-form contract to be executed by the Board of Public Works and Safety before work begins.

Property owner Bridal Berger said he cannot afford to hire contractors. "I can't get the money up," Berger said. He estimated the property is "like a 100,000, give or take," and said the remaining mortgage balance is "not a lot. Maybe 10,000." Hearing officer Mark Lloyd recommended Berger explore lenders for a home-equity line of credit as a potentially cheaper alternative to a city-led demolition, saying city-led work would involve legal and administrative costs that would be passed on to the owner.

Lloyd also said penalties related to the administrative order remain under advisement depending on progress and other factors. The hearing record shows the city expects that moving the matter to the public-bid stage will take about 30 days if the city proceeds.

Rather than immediately move to city-led demolition, Lloyd set a follow-up hearing for Sept. 17 at 11:00 a.m. and told Berger the city and the owner should report their status at that time. "I'll expect you to be here," Lloyd said.

Background: the city’s described process begins with recording the order, conducting a title search, notifying interested parties (including mortgagees), soliciting bids (minimum three), requiring environmental/asbestos testing where indicated, securing a demolition permit, removing debris, performing final grading and seeding, and presenting a short-form contract for Board approval. The transcript does not specify a total cost estimate for demolition, any contractor names, or whether the mortgage company has been contacted yet.

Next steps: the city will record the administrative order, perform the title search and, if the owner does not arrange private financing, solicit bids and prepare a contract for the Board of Public Works and Safety. The case will return to the hearing officer at 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 17 for status updates.