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LISBON-- Lisbon Fire Chief Mark Hall is moving to condemn the Nace Building at 111 and 115 North Market Street after sheet metal siding fell from the roof during a powerful windstorm on Tuesday.
"It created an unsafe environment for the public," Hall said during the Lisbon Village Council meeting on Tuesday. "This is a very, very serious issue."
During his report on the fire department, Hall stated his chief concern about the Nace Building that is in disrepair is for public safety.
Hall cited a section of the state zoning code, Ohio Revised Code 3767.41, which deals with buildings that are a public nuisance, as justification for initiating the condemnation of the building. He said he is also worried about the building "blowing out" onto North Market Street, since it has no back wall.
"I've got a call in to the State Fire Marshal and state building [department]. So it's going to go from there," Hall said.
The building is owned by the Lisbon Landmark Foundation, whose mission, stated on its website, is "to preserve the history and historic buildings of Lisbon for the aesthetic and economic benefit of our community."
The foundation's website states that the Nace Building is in need "of a full restoration in order to stabilize its structure."
"As recently as 2016, this building was eyed for demolition, but the location and the interconnected design of the rest of the buildings on the block means that the other buildings next to it are structurally dependent on the Nace Building," the website says.
Mayor Peter Wilson, who serves on the board of directors of the Lisbon Landmark Foundation, asked Hall if there would be a 30-day window to repair the structure so it was no longer a safety hazard.
The building had a zoning permit issued in September and no plans have been submitted to the state for the building's repair after the back of the building was removed, Hall said.
"It's been four months, four months," Hall said. "It's a public hazard."
Wilson also mentioned the foundation's swift response to cleaning up the two or three pieces of sheet metal in the middle of North Market Street and securing the rest of the building on Tuesday afternoon. He agreed with the fire chief that public safety is paramount.
"We thought the roof was secure. No excuse for it," Wilson said. "I got the call at 12:30, 3:30 the crane was there and all the pieces had been secured."
Wilson says the foundation had prepaid a contractor and the work has been delayed.
"We're not pleased that our contractor, which we pay him upfront, has yet to finish," Wilson said. "When you deal with contractors, there's always delays, no excuse."
Barb DeCourt, president of the Lisbon Landmark Foundation Board of Directors, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Hall acknowledged that the foundation did "great" with the Garretson building. There was a problem with bricks falling on the sidewalk at one point and the issue was quickly taken care of, he said.
However, he said the Nace Building has become too much of a public safety hazard, which is his number one priority as fire chief. Hall said he doesn't believe the Lisbon Landmark Foundation has the money to make the necessary repairs, which is another reason he is moving to condemn the building.
"If somebody would have come through there, they would have been killed," Hall said of the flying sheet metal. "I don't want that on my conscience."
"They're going to have to tear it down," Hall said when asked what it meant to condemn a building.