Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Tekoa building owner Keith Andersson has until Dec. 9 to file an appeal of the city’s ruling that the red-brick former Cohn Motor Co. building is unfit.
The designation was made in early November, decided by a three-member volunteer committee selected by Mayor John Jaeger, who said he chose the first three people to step forward, in order to avoid any charge of favoritism.
An estimated 1,200 square foot section of the Crosby Street building’s roof and part of two walls collapsed under snow last Jan. 26.
If Andersson does appeal, the matter goes to a special appeal committee of at least three residents. The city council would put forth names to make up the committee and approve a final group.
“Taking property from someone should be a slow process,” said Jaeger. “It’s a serious matter.”
The unfit building committee began work in late July.
Referring to the town’s unfit dwellings code, it finalized its report in August and sent it to the city.
The committee deemed the building unfit, and the city council took its recommendation, by way of City Attorney Stephen Bishop.
If Andersson appeals and it is denied, it could lead to a decision to allow 30 days to clean up debris outside of the red-brick building at the corner of Crosby and Main Street and two months to find an agency to restore the building.
If directives are issued and Andersson does not comply, the city may take over the building and put a lien on the property.
“If he doesn’t appeal the city will begin the process to rectify the problem. What can be done, and what sequence and by whom,” said Jaeger. “To take steps to remove the (fallen) brick and the danger of that west wall falling.”
With the damage limited to the structure’s second floor, one option for Andersson or the city would be to ultimately do a partial tear-down, taking out what remains of the roof and second floor. Then a new roof could leave the building standing as a one-story.
Unfit building committee members included Sandy Dehan, Todd Gabbart and Meg Sutton.
The city of Tekoa has rented a fence since June, the week before the Slippery Gulch Days celebration, to seal off the property and errant bricks on the sidewalk.
The Cohn building also once served as the Redfern & Sons Motor Company. Andersson has owned the property since 2006.
Built before 1902, the building has not been used as a business since Redfern & Sons went out in the 1950s.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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