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Frankfort RDC approves up to $1,000 for engineering inspection of deteriorating North Main building
Summary
The commission voted to appropriate up to $1,000 to hire an engineering firm to assess whether a long-troubled North Main Street building should be condemned, refurbished or demolished; discussion stressed an engineer’s report is needed before court action.
Commissioners approved a motion to appropriate up to $1,000 to hire an engineering firm to inspect a deteriorating building on North Main Street and determine whether it should be repaired or demolished.
Staff described long-standing facade and structural problems at the property, recounted earlier facade-grant discussions from 2023 and said owners are out of state and slow to respond. Staff warned that court action to force remediation typically requires an engineering report to establish that a structure meets legal criteria for demolition.
"In order to prove that it needs torn down, we have to have an engineering firm say so," staff said, and recommended obtaining the engineering assessment before initiating court proceedings to minimize costs and legal risk.
After discussion about safety concerns (broken windows, parapet separation and unauthorized access), a motion was made and seconded to appropriate up to $1,000 for the assessment; the commission approved the expenditure by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will contact engineering firms (KJG and others were discussed) to arrange a prompt inspection, secure the building where feasible, and report findings to the commission. No demolition or legal filing was authorized without the engineer's report.
