Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent
Photo by Grace Kirchner Mid Town Laundromat and Off the Top beauty salon along with a vacant business have been determined to be unsafe due to a failing roof. The laundromat has closed, and the beauty salon has relocated.
Two businesses on 11th Street in Clintonville have been declared unsafe and ordered closed as the city works to get the building razed. The properties share a common roof that has been deemed unsafe.
The businesses are Mid Town Laundry and Off the Top beauty salon. Another unit affected has been vacant for several years.
Clintonville River North Corporation Condominium turned the properties into condominiums in 1998. Unit 9B and 9C are now owned by James Krause, of Clintonville. Unit 9A is owned by Joseph Larson, of Marion, who acquired the property from Waupaca County after a previous owner owed back taxes on the property.
Interim City Administrator Chuck Kell said a raze order was issued for one of the units in 2008, but was never recorded with the county or implemented.
“We don’t know exactly why,” Kell said.
Krause said he was never notified of the raze order.
Krause said that he wanted to repair the roof as part of a pending sale of the laundromat. The buyer already purchased the washers and dryers. Krause had $7,000 worth of construction materials delivered to repair his portion of the roof, he said, and planned to seek a building permit. The materials have been returned.
Scott Nordin, of Nordin Design Group Inc., said the roof is damaged beyond repair and is a safety hazard. Wood purlins have rotted, he said, and many have already failed and are sagging. He said failure of the roof system is imminent. Steel girder trusses are rusted and decayed in some areas.
Nordin also said the supporting walls and remainder of the building must also be evaluated for decay and structural integrity. Because it is a commercial building, plans for repair must be submitted to the Department of Safety and Professional Services for approval.
Nordin said he did not believe repairing the structure would be economically feasible or prudent.
In a letter to Toby Kersten, city public works manager and building inspector, Jed Wohlt, environmental health manager with the Waupaca County Department of Health and Human Services, recommended the entire building be deemed unfit for human use.
Building inspector Dan Coffey, of Independent Inspections, LTD, found the damage is so severe that the building needs to be razed.
Coffey determined the assessed value of the building is $135,800. The estimated cost for repairs would be $365,500, according to Kell.
Action is being formalized to get the building razed, Kell told the Common Council on Tuesday.
Krause said he is working with attorney to determine his options.
The beauty salon has moved to 42 S. Main St.