WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A condemned building off Watertown’s Public Square has been barricaded due to safety concerns and city leaders believe demolition is next.
City officials said they received complaints over the weekend about the condition of 223 JB Wise Place, which was once home to the FunXcape indoor playground.
Officials told 7 News they visited the property on Tuesday and Wednesday and decided to set up fencing around it as a precaution, not an emergency, as they assess the condition of the building.
The HVAC systems are caving in, which could end up bringing down the building and hurting people in the process.
“You can actually see a hole in the roof and the air conditioner and HVAC system are on the verge of collapsing into the building,” said WAtertown city manager Eric Wagenaar.
On the outside, chunks of the facade are falling off.
“It’s a safety risk. That’s why we have it roped off and fenced off right now. Obviously, we’re concerned about it collapsing on its own. We’d rather have control of that,” said Wagenaar.
City council will discuss how to pay for demolishing the property on Monday night.
Wagenaar said the cost of demolition would be between $700,000 and $800,000.
That’s money the building’s owner, Vina Bonner, would owe the city, but which could prove difficult to collect.
Bonner moved away from the area years ago.
Bonner will eventually be charged the cost of demolition through taxes, but in the meantime, the city has two options to pay for quick demolition.
“Basically the two strategies are to bond it or fund it out of the general reserve. Our recommendation to the council will be to bond it,” Wagenaar said.
City council will likely vote at Monday’s meeting on bonding for the demolition costs. Then the building could come down as soon as next week.
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