November 30, 2018—As city workers work to increase the safety and security of the Wyman School property, work continues on The Royal.
Melinda Mehaffy, economic development director, said the city acquired the Wyman property because of a vast amount of vandalism. She said the building remains vacant because many interested parties underestimate renovation cost.
“It’s a large building in our community that we needed to have some control over,” she said. “We experienced other individuals purchasing property thinking they’re getting a great deal with little thought to what the renovation cost is for these buildings.”
Mehaffy said she estimates the cost on the 96 window and door openings alone to exceed $100,000. In the past, vandals removed the building’s radiators and threw them down the stairs causing tens of thousands of dollars in concrete work.
City workers continue to board up windows at the Wyman School property. Economic Development Director Melinda Mehaffy said the city hopes this project will serve as an example on how to properly secure vacant properties. Cory Wartner | Submitted photo
After the city recently received a letter from a community member advising the owner should clean up the property, they Mehaffy said they decided they should serve as an example.
She said the city decided to clean up the property to show how properly boarded up buildings should appear.
The work also helps relieve security issues city workers have battled with the property. The Excelsior Springs Police Department routinely must remove individuals from the property, thus putting a drain on city’s resources, Mehaffy said.
Cory Wartner with code enforcement said they employed a local contractor to clean up all the yard, remove all the brush around the building and take down the vines growing on the building. They painted the boards to help them best stand up to the elements. City workers currently work to board up all windows and doors to keep out not only the elements but wildlife and vandals as well.
The project alone will cost the city approximately $10,000, but Mehaffy said because the work must be completed, they want to do it correctly. They did this, she said, so the work will stand up to time and they will not have to complete it again.
The city will also ask for proof renovations will be completed to those interested in acquiring the property. Mehaffy said the city will require not only proof of financials but a plan of how interested parties plan to use the building.
The city must take a different approach in the enforcement of renovations going into The Royal because the city never owned the property. After officially designating The Royal as a dangerous building, the city required the owner to submit a remediation plan containing specific dates certain work will be completed.
In the remediation report, the owner agreed to secure construction permit and contractor’s license by Nov. 16 and fence off the building by Nov. 21. Mehaffy said the owner completed this work according to schedule. Wartner said the fence going up serves as an indication work began on the property.
The structural engineer’s report will be obtained by Friday, which will determine the structural stability of the building.
The owner agreed to begin boarding up all windows and doors this week. They will do so with a Plexiglas material to allow for natural light in the building while renovations continue. According to the agreement, this work will be completed Dec. 17.
The fire escape must be removed by Dr. 21. Wartner said the latter currently appears to be falling off the building and must be secured. Work on the existing porch will begin this week and will be completed in 90 days.
Estimates on the completion of the remainder of the renovations will be determined after the owner completes the renovations on the porch.
Mehaffy said the owner could not obtain a copy of the building’s original plans. This required them to employ an architect to complete plans on the building.
As of Nov. 14, Mehaffy said the plans show an 80-85 percent completion. She said the city asked the owner to submit completed plans by Dec. 1. This will allow city staff to fully review the plans before they go before the Historic Preservation Commission. Mehaffy said she estimated it to go before the commission in January.