Deadline passes for demolition site
Photo
Demolition has again started at the old Jeffris Theatre on Milwaukee Street in downtown Janesville as Steve Palushik works at cutting roof beams and piping in the process of removing the roof.
JANESVILLE — Another demolition deadline has come and gone, but the Jeffris Theater’s partial walls still stand.
Demolition continued Tuesday at the old theater, 319 W. Milwaukee St., even though Monday ended a 30-day deadline city officials gave redeveloper Jim Grafft when the city condemned the building in October.
Jay Winzenz, assistant director of administrative services, said the city has not determined its next step after condemnation.
The last resort, he said, would be for the city to demolish the building.
“It’s not a decision we take lightly,” said Winzenz, who visited the work site Monday.
Grafft has been demolishing the back end of the downtown theater since August so he can build a parking lot.
On Oct. 4, the city condemned the partially demolished building after an engineer said it was unstable.
City officials issued a 30-day deadline and required Grafft to fence the property, hire security guards, brace the walls and build temporary roofs over sidewalks.
The YWCA moved some residents from nearby Jeffris Flats to a motel because of safety concerns.
Grafft has defended the slow pace of the demolition, saying it affects other buildings and must be done by hand. He said work stopped when asbestos was found in bricks buried behind two layers of plaster.
On Tuesday, Grafft confirmed that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has declared the site clear of asbestos.
However, contention still exists between Grafft and the city.
Grafft said he needs a letter from the YWCA’s engineer, saying the theater and Jeffris Flats have been separated properly. The buildings are connected by a staircase, plumbing and the roof.
Without the letter, Grafft said he’ll have to stop demolition when he reaches the staircase for liability reasons.
Winzenz countered that the city sent Grafft a letter Oct. 25, saying the area had been inspected and is structurally independent.
“I’m not sure what he’s looking for at this point,” Winzenz said.
“We’re the responsible agent for determining compliance with building codes, not some third party.”
Nov 7, 2007 at 12:31 p.m.
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I completely agree with Optimus - fine him big...there must be an ordinance with a max. daily fine...my town's max. is $750 per day. Get him where it hurts the most - his wallet. I believe his motivation for taking so long is nothing more than he's allowed to take his time without shelling out money - the only 'penalty' he faces is constant media attention and I doubt this bothers him.
Nov 7, 2007 at 11:27 a.m.
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Before everyone gets too excited about hopping on the "takeover by the city" bandwagon, let's keep in mind where the city gets it's funding for doing projects. I'm not sure I want my tax dollars funding the "cleaning up" of a private sector project. I suppose that the city would charge Mr Grafft for it's services, but what if he dragged this dispute through our court system? Who ultimately would pay for that? I'd say fine him, and fine him heavily for non-compliance- and continue fining him for each day he "drags" his feet.
Remember the highway trailer plant that was partially demolished in Edgerton for god knows how long, and what an eyesore that was.
It would be interesting to know what his motivation is for taking soooooooooo long on completing these projects.
Nov 7, 2007 at 11:11 a.m.
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i agree about him dragging his feet. big talker no action. look at how many buildings he owns and they are just sitting empty. he also owns the building at 405 1/2 w. milwaukee strret and look how long that has been empty. he had plans to put in a laundromat in this building adn i"ll bet if they inspected this building it would be condemed as well. he did start "clearing out" the lower portion at one time several years ago. it should be checked as well.
Nov 7, 2007 at 11:01 a.m.
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Again Jim Grafft is dragging his feet with the city! The city should take over the project for the sake of expediency. safety and compliance. If Grafft wants to save all the pieces he can truck them his vacant property on Hwy 14 and sift through to his heart's delight. Get the building down before something bad happens. winter is approaching and the building should to be down before the snow flies.
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