City officials intend to reach out to a downtown property owner to quickly address a safety hazard from falling bricks from the facade of the former Sandy’s Outlaws, 214 S. Main St.
Service-Safety Director James Holycross said he has instructed Code Enforcement Officer Wes Dodds to contact William Greider of Urbana.
“He’s there taking photographs and preparing a notice,” Mr. Holycross said this morning. “We know the building is in distress. We want to reach out to the owner to make it safe as quickly as possible.”
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ABOVE: A woman walks past 214 S. Main St. this morning, where city officials have barricaded the sidewalk and two parking spots after bricks fell from the crown of the building Saturday. BELOW: A close-up view of the missing bricks. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | REUBEN MEES)
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Mr. Greider purchased the nearly 2,000-square-foot building in 2014 for $6,295 from Sandra D. Henson, which was enough to cover the overdue property taxes at the time.
The 19th-century building has been vacant for sometime after years of housing a bar on the first floor.
Early Saturday afternoon, officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department reported finding on the sidewalk bricks which had fallen from the top of the two-story building.
Mr. Holycross noted it is in a neighborhood that has experienced renewed activity as customers visit the restaurants, a beauty shop and a bakery now open in the block.
To protect pedestrians, street department crews placed a temporary snow fence around the sidewalk in front of the building. They also blocked parking spaces.
“The bricks fell from the top of the building,” Mr. Holycross said. “That’s probably a sufficient height where debris could drop onto the sidewalk and bounce onto a parked vehicle.”
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