Will Daily Times building be demolished? Portsmouth looks at next steps

PORTSMOUTH — A structural engineer hired by the city inspected the former Daily Times building Wednesday morning, according to Deputy City Attorney Trevor McCourt.

The city hired its own engineer to determine the condition of the building at 278 State St., which was severely damaged in a April 2017 fire that destroyed the former location of the State Street Salon. The inspection came after the city on Monday put up barricades blocking off the building from a lane of traffic on State Street and an adjacent sidewalk along the property.

The building, which is owned by developer Peter Floros, has sat vacant since the fire.

“We contracted with our structural engineer to help us identify the next steps,” McCourt said Wednesday. He had not yet received a report back from the engineer the city hired and added, “I don’t have a timeline” for when the city will get the document.

City officials said they put up the barricades out of “an abundance of caution” after receiving a report from the building owner’s engineer stating it could potentially collapse.

Floros has long sought to demolish the building and redevelop the property, stating it's the only safe option. The city's Historic District Commission has declined to approve demolition, a decision upheld in court.

City asks building owner to help safeguard the public

During a visit to the downtown property late Wednesday morning, there appeared to be a working van inside the partially fenced-off area near the building.

Shanti Wolph, Portsmouth's chief building inspector, sent a letter to Floros’ attorney, John Kuzinevich, on Wednesday about the issue.

“To safeguard public safety, your client needs to promptly close and lock the chain-link fence surrounding the property,” Wolph wrote. “Unauthorized access shall be strictly prohibited. Your cooperation in this matter is crucial to prevent any potential harm to the public. Please address the concerns promptly."

Wolph stated in the letter he “observed construction workers this morning parking their vehicles directly against the building’s exterior wall and congregating in the vicinity before commencing their workday.”

Reached Wednesday afternoon, Kuzinevich said Floros is “going to make sure it’s locked up now.”

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He added that Floros was at the site Wednesday morning when the inspection by the city’s structural engineer was being conducted.

“He is going to secure the site,” he stressed.

Mayor Deaglan McEachern could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

Building damage detailed

Portsmouth officials stated they made the decision to place barriers at 278 State St. after receiving a report from Emanuel Engineering, which was hired by Floros to evaluate the structure.

“We did receive that letter from Fred Emanuel, who indicated that it is a dangerous building,” McCourt said. “In response to that, we took the appropriate steps.”

In a July 12 letter to Floros, Emanuel references a letter Wolph sent to the building owner asking for short-term solutions to shore up the fire-damaged building.

Emanuel reported he has “visited the site several times” and it’s his opinion “that there is no temporary fix to guarantee public safety.”

He concludes in the letter the “structure is unsafe, has the potential of a progressive collapse, and needs to be demolished immediately.”

Emanuel states he is basing his opinion on “existing conditions (and) observations, such as fire damage, environmental damage – snow, wind, rain, age of the structure and past renovations that compromised the structure.”

His biggest fear, he said, “is a potential progressive collapse of the structure, regardless of any short-term repairs that may or may not have been implemented.”

Emanuel also lists a series of building conditions that have him calling for a “complete demolition” of the building.

They include collapsed masonry, loosened masonry, cracked granite lintels and sills, deteriorated and failed foundation walls, deteriorated mortar joints and “masonry step cracks … between floor levels.”

He also reported seeing “sagging floors,” and burned and rotted timbers.

Building has been open to the elements

Wolph stated that during an April visit to the property “it was evident that the roof had not remained in place as ordered by” the former chief building inspector in July 2017.

“It was clear that water was pouring in, and the open sky was visible, which contributed to further deterioration,” Wolph said in the June 20 letter. “Additionally, it was apparent that the exterior brick facade and corbels are failing.”

If the facade collapses, there will be a significant threat to life safety,” Wolph added.

Asked Wednesday about the pace of the city’s response, McCourt said, “I think we’ve acted just as quickly as we possibly could in the interest of public safety.”

McCourt said Wolph, on his own, has the power to order the former Times building be demolished if he determines it’s necessary.

The decision about what to do with the building comes amidst a long legal battle between the city and Floros as he continues to seek to demolish it to make way for a redevelopment project.

But the city’s Historic District Commission has rejected that request, which Kuzinevich says proves the land-use board is putting aesthetics over public safety.

But City Attorney Susan Morrell disagreed, recently stating, “What has happened over this time is demolition by neglect on the part of the property owner.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Will Daily Times building be demolished? Portsmouth looks at next steps