TEXARKANA, Ark. - The city's plans to demolish a derelict downtown building that partially collapsed last year are moving forward, and work could begin in the spring.
Legal counsel has given "the go ahead" for the city Public Works Department to proceed with demolition plans for the former Regency House building at 110 E. Broad St., Director Tyler Richards said in an email.
Richards' plans and specifications are under review by a licensed asbestos removal professional, he said. The city will begin advertising for bids on the project Sunday, and the bidding process will take approximately four weeks.
The city Board of Directors will have to approve the winning bid, and the earliest that could happen is April 20, Richards said. The earliest the work could begin is May 4.
"All dates and times are subject to change as the project develops," he stressed.
Cost of the project is estimated at $500,000.
On Aug. 14, the Regency House's extensively damaged roof collapsed through the remains of the floor beneath, destabilizing the structure and creating the possibility of falling debris. The city immediately blocked access to the street and sidewalk in front of the building and closed the park next door.
The building's owner of record is A.V.S. International Group Inc., doing business as Guta Lands USA, with a principal address in Fayetteville, Arkansas, according to state incorporation records and Miller County property tax records. Guta Lands USA bought the property in 2015 for an estimated $84, and it has an estimated market value of $9,850.
The building was condemned in 2011, and multiple attempts by the city to contact the owner failed. Until recently, Guta Lands USA had forfeited the property to the state because of more than $740 in unpaid taxes. The Land Commissioner last attempted to auction off the land in May.
The city planned to buy the property from the state and, along with a smaller building next door the city purchased in October, demolish it.
Guta Lands last year paid its delinquent taxes on the property, retaining ownership and preventing the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands from selling it at auction. But the building remained condemned, and the city has legal standing to bring it down.
When the city Board of Directors approves condemning a structure, notice is given to the property's owner that they have 30 days to obtain a building or demolition permit. If the owner fails to do so, the city may proceed with demolition itself.
When the city brings down the building, it will place a lien on the property for the cost of the demolition to try to recoup its expenses, the only option available to hold property owners responsible for structures abandoned to become unsafe. The cost of demolition is so high that in that case, it is unlikely anyone will ever purchase the property and pay the city's lien, Richards has said.
The property's history dates to 1878, when it was first deeded to a local Masonic lodge, according to previous Gazette reports.
A general store operated on the site until the building burned down in 1885. Operators of a dry goods store, Texarkana National Bank and again the Freemasons in turn owned a new brick building at the address.
From 1945 to 1978, a department store started by William Dillard, later founder of the Dillard's chain, operated in the building.
The building was vacant from 1979 to 1988, when it became home to Regency House, a retailer of china, crockery and glassware. It has been vacant since 2002.