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‘Temporary’ roof could last another 5 years

Justin Addison, Editor/Publisher
Posted 7/20/21

A downtown Fayette eyesore will not be fixed anytime soon. According to the building’s owner, Dan Ruether, of Columbia, the “temporary” roof installed over 114 and 116 North Church …

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‘Temporary’ roof could last another 5 years

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A downtown Fayette eyesore will not be fixed anytime soon. According to the building’s owner, Dan Ruether, of Columbia, the “temporary” roof installed over 114 and 116 North Church Street eight years ago could take another five years to replace.

Reuther appeared before the Fayette City Council by subpoena at its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 13. He told council members that he has been working on the buildings but doesn’t have the money to rebuild the second story of the troubled building. 

“It is our intention to rebuild the second floor,” Ruether told the council. “We want to put it back the way it was.

“Our long-term plan is that we would like to see it rebuilt.”

The roof collapsed in February 2013 under the weight of heavy snow buildup. He was allowed to install the slanted roof as a temporary measure. Yet eight years later it remains. Reuther blamed insurance delays and the economy for not working on the building sooner. He said it would take around $500,000 to rebuild the second story. “The way the economy was at that time, it wasn’t economically feasible for us to invest that and try to command the kind of rent that would make that feasible.”

The nearly full block of century-old buildings owned by Ruether has been a point of contention for the city council for years. In December 2020, the council held a hearing, at which Ruether did not attend. The city found that, based on two engineering reports, half of the Bell Block building, located at 102 and 104 North Church, and the building at 114 and 116 North Church should be considered dangerous. Notices were placed on the front doors of the buildings. At least one of the notices was removed. An eyewitness reported to this newspaper that it was removed by Ruether.

At least one tenant moved out when the notices were placed. 

The Bell Block Building was erected in 1883. Although it contains four storefronts, it is unclear why only half of the building was the subject of the hearing.

In November 2019, the city hired Columbia engineering firm Klingner and Associates to inspect the structures of the buildings. The report, along with a list of necessary repairs, was given to Ruether. A year later, Klingner re-inspected the buildings and found that little of the suggested work had been performed.

Only three of the eight storefronts are occupied, one of which is the laundromat that is owned by Ruether. In 2019, two businesses relocated due to deteriorating conditions.

Directly beside the building that houses 114 and 116 North Church sits an empty space where a building once stood. The owners of that space have indicated their desire to develop it into a pocket park. But before that can be done, the exterior of the north wall of 116 North Church must be tuckpointed. Ruether told the council that he hired a mason in March to perform the work, but it has not been completed. 

“He started, then he stopped. We’re kind of at his mercy right now,” Ruether told the council. “It bothers me just as much as it bothers you.”

As to the slanted roof atop that building, Ruether said that it has been re-coated and that drainage issues had been addressed. 

“Once tuckpointing and all that wall is secured in and around that building, the plan is to work on the inside as far as cleaning it out,” Ruether said. 

He said that the floor on the inside had collapsed because office furniture had been stacked on it.

Reuther said he has been working on other buildings on the block as well and has had inquiries from businesses interested in leasing storefronts. 

“I was sitting here seven years ago, which was the last time you appeared before the council, and we heard basically the same thing,” said Southwest Ward Alderman Grafton Cook. 

“You’re telling the City of Fayette that it’s going to be another five years before that property, both properties, are what one might consider sufficient or adequate enough to be inhabited,” asked Cook.

Mayor Kevin Oeth inquired as to whether the building at 116 North Church was safe to inhabit. Ruether explained that while the building is essentially a shell, it is safe to walk into. “It’s not going to fall over. It’s not our intention to have another collapse,” he said.

But Danny Dougherty, the city’s director of public works, disagreed with Ruether that the building is safe enough to enter. “I didn’t feel safe going in there,” he said. “The floor is basically gone on one side. And the other side is dropping down.”

Southwest Ward Alderwoman Hope Smith asked if he would be willing to sell the buildings. Ruether said he had been approached and would consider selling for the right price. 

East Ward Alderwoman Stephanie Ford inquired as to Ruether’s timeline on fixing up the other buildings on the block. She also said she had received several complaints regarding the laundromat, which Ruether owns. 

Ruether said that work on those buildings is in process. He blamed upstairs tenants who refused to use shower curtains for causing water damage in the downstairs storefronts.

“I’ve had a zillion complaints about people losing all their money when they go in there. They said they could have better luck at the casino,” Ford said.

Reuther said his people go through and check the machines and keep the laundromat clean. “We have dryer companies come in to service. I can’t speak to specific incidences, but I do know that when leaks are identified or the machines not working, we try to get it corrected,” he said. “We try to keep it up, try to keep it clean, and try to keep things working,” he said.

Ruether said this is the time of year that he expects to turn over apartments as college students return to Fayette. “Most of the units we’ve gone through over the last three to five years. We’ve painted, cleaned, updated appliances. We looked at flooring.” 

Ruether said that most of the issues are cosmetic. Other problems involve the buildings’ aging infrastructures, which include cast iron plumbing.

“Tenants help cash flow,” Ruether said. “It’s all part of an investment. We’re trying to be part of the community.”

Ruether said that immediate improvements include exterior painting, the removal of an awning frame, and tuckpointing.

“I would strongly suggest it not be another seven years before we see you,” said Mayor Oeth.

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