Spring Valley buys lot to complete demolition

The Spring Valley City Council at a special meeting Monday voted to buy a small tract of land near 226-228 E. St. Paul Street so the buildings at those addresses can be demolished.

According to Spring Valley City Engineer Mike Richetta, the building at 228 E. St. Paul Street has long been a problem for the city, so the council acted to remove the structurally unsafe building and the garage on a 25-foot lot next door to it at 226 E. St. Paul Street.

The demolition will begin as soon as the city received the signed bill of sale for the adjacent lot.

Handling the job will be M & L Environmental of Peoria, which was originally retained to see how much of the structure could be saved. It turned out the roof was so deteriorated it could not bear the weight of tarps and tires to keep out the elements.

Everything of value has been removed from the interior.

“I’m not sure exactly when the city took over that property because it had delinquent taxes and was abandoned,” Richetta said. “They tried to market it and have someone come in and redevelop it, but everyone that looked at it said it would be too expensive to redevelop.

“It was going to have to come down, so the city finally decided that they’d take it down. It’s an expensive takedown, around $225,000.”

Richetta lauded the city for taking the steps it is urging owners of other abandoned properties to do, to either make them safe and clean them up or remove them.

“It’s been there forever and it’s been a problem, but the city is making an effort to clean up abandoned buildings,” Richetta said. “If you own an abandoned building as a city, you really can’t leave it sitting there. This council is making the effort just like they’re asking other owners to do.”