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Portion of Western Building to topple soon
Demolition of a structure that is part of the former Western Insurance building is on the horizon.
City officials said this week they anticipate demolition of the non-historic tower to the west to begin within the next two to three weeks. Flint Hills Holding Group LLC, the property developers, have a plan to convert the historic structure into about 40 senior living units.
"That (demolition) has to happen before renovation of that historic building," Director of Economic Development Heather Griffith said.
City officials learned in May the property developers had been allocated tax credits through the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation. The developers will use the federal tax credits to help fund the development project. Continuation of the project was dependent on award of the tax credits.
"The funding comes from investors that bought tax credits," Griffith said. "Without them, it's not worth the investment."
Tony Krsnich, of Flint Hills Holding LLC, purchased the old Western building for $1 during a county tax sale in 2014. At the time, Krsnich told city officials of his plan to convert the property to about 40 senior living units. City commissioners agreed to kick in about $1 million in city capital improvement funds.
Most of the city funds used thus far have been spent on cleanup of asbestos and mold inside the buildings that make up the property, as well as interior demolition, which has been completed. The city commitment also includes demolition of the non-historic structure to the west of the historic building, Griffith said. Once the west tower is demolished, the lot will be used for a parking area.
The remainder of the estimated $9 million redevelopment project will be funded by the property development company, which works with historic buildings.
Industrial Wrecking Co., Inc., of Kansas City, Mo., was awarded the contract to demolish the non-historic tower and the structure that joins both buildings.
Demolition can now take place following approval by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), officials said.
"We got SHPO review and a letter saying demolition of the tower building will not impact or harm the historic district," Griffith said. "All the pieces are coming together."
Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou, who is also currently helping to oversee the city codes department, said he has talked with the contractor and a subcontractor and there is "a time frame of two to three weeks as maybe a start date for demolition." Ballou has been monitoring the demolition for the city.
Ballou said the construction crews are looking to use a piece of equipment that will allow the demolition project to go quicker. If that equipment is used, demolition would take about four weeks to complete. Otherwise, demolition will take about six to eight weeks to finish, officials said.
"There's a piece of equipment they're trying to get to reach that high to get all the building," he said. "If that's lined up, they're looking at about four weeks."
Griffith said she anticipates the renovation project to take about eight to 10 months to complete. Renovation and redevelopment by Rau Construction Co., a general contractor based in Overland Park, is expected to start in September. Griffith has said the entire project would take about two years to complete.
City officials have said the renovated building will be an improvement over the existing blighted structure, which has sat idle for several years. The redevelopment will be focused on preserving the historical characteristics of the building while incorporating high-quality apartments.
This spring, officials were waiting on approval of the tax credits as well as local companies to complete relocation of utilities and system upgrades for the project. Those projects were funded by the companies that did the work.