Realty Demolition May Be Slightly Delayed
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Realty Tower demolition may not begin Thursday as originally planned.
“Final details are being arranged and we intend to begin demolition this week,” an email from a spokeswoman for the Realty owner and property management company said. “Our main focus today has been the important operation of retrieving some of our residents’ belongings.”
A statement from the company thanked firefighters and fire Chief Barry Finley for entering the building Wednesday and retrieving residents’ belongings. The firefighters were off duty.
A May 28 explosion at Realty Tower killed an employee of Chase Bank on the first floor, injured several others and displaced the residents of its 23 apartments. The Stambaugh Building, where DoubleTree by Hilton and Bistro 1907 are located, has been closed since the explosion.
In mid-June, International Towers, located next to Realty, was evacuated because of concerns about possible collapse of Realty.
A message from Ohio One Corporation, which owns the building housing The Business Journal, reported the start date may be later.
“The City has informed us that the owners of the Realty Building would like to start demolition this Thursday,” the message from Ohio One said. “However, all of the paperwork has not been filed and a permit has not been issued yet. All necessary paperwork should be finalized next week and work can begin then.”
Dina Pierce, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said in an email that the agency received and accepted a letter notifying it of the need for emergency demolition of the building.
“This means asbestos material does not need to be removed before demolition, which under normal circumstances would be required,” she wrote.
YO Properties 47 LLC is Realty’s owner and Live Youngstown is its property management company.
Construction crews Wednesday were tearing up sidewalks near the building. A protective curtain hangs on the side of the Stambaugh Building that faces Realty, shielding it from debris.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
