By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The owner of a condemned building appealed the time frame of the city’s demolition order but his absence and lack of plans at the Bucyrus City Board of Building Standards and Appeals meeting left the board members uneasy.
The City of Bucyrus condemned Ronald Worchester’s property at 209 West Mansfield Street April 7 after the Bucyrus Fire Department and the city’s Zoning Administrator deemed the structure to be unsafe. Popping and cracking could be heard at the three-story structure and the fire department discovered the walls were starting to buckle.
Bucyrus Law Director Rob Ratliff and Zoning Administrator John Rostash issued a notice of condemnation and an order to demolish the property was posted later that day. Worchester had 60 days to demolish the building.
Now, Worchester has hired the services of Paul Hoeffel of Kennedy Purdy Hoeffel & Gernert LLC. The Board of Building Standards and Appeals, which is comprised of members from the Bucyrus City Board of Zoning Appeals, received notification from Hoeffel that his client requested the board’s meeting be continued to allow him time to demolish the building.
Rostash received the call from Hoeffel on May 14 advising that his client would like to continue the meeting of the Board of Building Standards and Appeals to a date to be determined. He added that Worchester had obtained a demolition permit to demolish the structure on 209 West Mansfield Street.
“Their intent, I’m told, is to go ahead and demolish the structure. They were concerned about the 60 days limitation on the order that was placed on his property,” Rostash said. “He believes they will have it down on the ground prior to that but he wanted that available to him to get this meeting continued and appeal the time frame of that order if need be.”
According to Rostash, Worchester has contracted with Quinn’s of Bucyrus to demo the building.
Despite Worchester’s intent to demo the structure, the board showed little faith without a demolition plan or a specific timeline.
“I’m reticent to do anything without some kind of plan and them not showing up for this meeting,” said board member Jan Herman.
“I agree,” Ratliff stated. “My position remains . . . that the building remains a danger to nearby structures. The building right next door is inhabited. Once the building starts to fall, the people on the ground are at risk.
“In the 30 or so days since we’ve filed the notice, there are tremendous changes in the building. The walls are bowed out, the cracks are bigger and deeper. I don’t know how it’s still standing,” Ratliff added.
Board member Harry Lipscomb expressed similar concerns while fellow member Floyd Farmer demanded a timeline and a completion date be put in place before the board agreed to anything.
“That’s my concern,” agreed Ratliff. “There’s been no demolition plan filed by Quinn or the defendant in this matter.”
Rostash reminded the board that if the time frame was extended, it would run into the annual car shows and festivals that occur in downtown Bucyrus.
“They’ve really never given us a reason why they want the extension,” Herman said. “They just said, ‘I want an extension.’ I’m sorry but in my view, you need some kind of reason for that extension.”
Herman added that Worchester or his attorney needed to be at the meeting to explain their reasoning for the extension.
The board voted to table the motion until Worchester filed a timeline, a demolition plan, and a proposed completion date.
The Board of Zoning Appeals, which met Monday morning, approved a lot configuration for Duane Hartschuh. Hartshuch, owner of 127 Mary Street and 218 North Poplar Street, requested to reconfigure the lots to accommodate the construction of a new garage.
The newly created lot, which would restore the flag-shaped lot to a nearly-rectangular lot similar to other owners in the area, would not conform to the standards of the Urban Neighborhood Residential Zoning District and needed an area variance to be in compliance. The board granted the variance.