Demolition planned for vacant Downtown building

By Harry Loomis

A Downtown building that has sat vacant for over a decade and a half will soon be demolished.

The building is located at 408 South Eighth St., adjacent to the St. Joseph Fire Department. The demolition would allow for an expansion of the fire station’s headquarters.

The plan is for the area to be turned into a parking lot.

“We actually have not got a signed agreement yet from EPA to go take possession of the building,” said Kenny Cordonnier, fire chief. “So we’re waiting on that. It requires a few signatures on that agreement. As soon as we get that, we’ll proceed to the county and take possession of that. We got to do that first. We’re putting it out for bids right now.”

The building has been unattended to for years, and dangerous materials have been found inside.

“They found some PCB, asbestos and lead paint” Cordonnier said. “For the most part, it was minimal stuff, but it’s still a hazard.”

There are still some hoops to jump through to get the process moving, but Cordonnier anticipates things to happen rather quickly.

“I don’t have a timeline,” Cordonnier said. “We’re kind of at the mercy of others right now, but I hope to have something done with it in the month of April.”

Once things fall into place, the upgrades should be beneficial to all parties.

“It should be a win-win for all of us,” Cordonnier said. “We got to tax the city, got approved and we’re going to renovate headquarters, uh, in a few years and the space will be nice to have.”