County’s Tower plans moving forward

The Tower Building, the county’s biggest cash sinkhole, is a step closer to demolition following the Davison County Commission’s receipt of an asbestos inspection report Tuesday.

The report by Geotek Engineering & Testing Services, Sioux Falls, confirmed the presence of the carcinogenic mineral in 40 of 83 samples removed from the building. After a brief discussion, commissioners immediately voted to solicit bids for an asbestos removal project.

“I don’t want to see this project slowed down,” said Commissioner Gerald Weiss.

“I don’t, either; we’re moving forward,” said Commission Chairman Jerry Fischer.

The statements confirmed the general feeling among the commissioners that the building must go, but no funds have yet been appropriated for its removal. It remains for the commissioners to approve a bid for asbestos removal, and to get that work done prior to putting the demolition job out for bids.

Purchased in 1993 for $425,000, the Tower Building cost the county about $90,000 to heat in 2008. The top three floors must be heated but only the first floor has tenants. Heating bills frequently rise above $10,000 in winter months and the old building requires mold remediation, as well as a new roof, boiler and extensive elevator repairs.

Fischer said there’s nothing foreseeable that will derail the building’s demolition.

“All the commissioners are in agreement and we’re moving forward,” he said.

State law requires that asbestos-containing materials be removed prior to demolition. Friable asbestos — asbestos-containing materials that crumble to dust with hand pressure — comprise the greatest environmental danger, according to experts. Asbestos-containing materials that are sealed are considered non-friable and pose less health risk as long as they are not broken up or disturbed.

County Maintenance Supervisor Mark Ruml said he received the $3,500 survey Monday. Among other things, the six-page report specifies that 880 feet of asbestos pipe coverings must be removed, as well as 164 square feet of boiler insulation.

Work must be completed by certified asbestos-removal specialists.

Asbestos was a common ingredient in earlier building materials and can often be found in old plaster, vinylasbestos floor tiles, older drywall compounds, siding, ceiling tiles and boiler insulation.

The report states that nonfriable materials such as floor tiles may be left in place during demolition, but recommended that “building debris be adequately wetted to ensure that no visible emissions occur” from asbestoscontaining materials.

Bidders for the removal project will base their estimates on the amount of asbestos specified in the report. While the commissioners gave Ruml permission to advertise for bids, no bid deadline was specified by the commissioners.

During the public input segment of Tuesday’s commission meeting, Jim and Marilyn Tucek asked the commissioners to address the condition of a property owned by Dan Ries on the northeast corner of Highway 37 and Airport Road (250th Street). The site contains old vehicles and trailer loads of discarded items.

Jim Tucek said Ries previously burned clothing and old furniture on the property, which contributed to a constant pall of smoke in the area. The smoke was irritating to Marilyn Tucek’s damaged immune system, said her husband. Ries eventually was banned from any further burning.

In regular session, the commissioners considered a letter from Ries that said the goods piled on his property were damaged by the April 2007 flood and wrote, “Our plan is to have all items removed from the property by June 30.”

Fischer wasn’t convinced by the letter, which he considers an attempt to pacify the commission. He and fellow commissioners had received too many complaints about the unsightly property, he said.

The commissioners voted to send a letter notifying Ries the property is being declared a public nuisance and health hazard. That letter will be sent next week, pending review by Deputy State’s Attorney Jim Taylor, said Zoning Administrator Dan Sudrla.

After receiving official notice, Ries will have 60 days to clean up his property, or the nuisance will be abated by the county and Ries will be billed for costs incurred.

Fischer said other properties will soon come under similar scrutiny.

The news will be welcomed by some residents who have suffered near similar areas, said Sudrla. “Some people in the county have given up complaining,” he said.

Fischer said, “We’ll be making a statement here that things will soon happen in other places.”

While the current item will be addressed as a public health nuisance, Commissioner John Claggett said, “There’s a quality of life issue here.” Area residents, however, have defeated past attempts to pass a nuisance ordinance based on such criteria. The item was defeated because residents feared the definition of “nuisance” is subjective and an ordinance could become oppressive.

Also Tuesday:

• During the public commentary segment, Darlene Kistler asked the commissioners to lower the speed limit on 250th Street from 55 mph to 40 mph on the mile of road immediately east of Highway 37. Kistler said she has lost pets to high-speed traffic on the road and fears for the safety of others in the area.

The commissioners, acting in regular session, set May 26 as the first public reading of an ordinance changing the speed limit. If there is no public protest, the change will become law 20 days after the ordinance’s second reading,

• Set 10 a.m. June 20 as the time and date for an auction of county surplus property at the county highway building, 1204 W. Fifth St.

• Issued a permit to Randy Reider for a fireworks display for his son Derek Schmidt’s May 17 graduation party. The display will occur at dark (around 9:30 p.m.) near the fifth hole at the Wild Oak Golf Club, in an area that is bracketed by two ponds. The display will be outside Mitchell city limits. State’s Attorney Pat Smith commended Reider for following the permitting process.

For a permit to be issued the display must be: available to public view; fireworks must be purchased from a certified wholesaler; and the display must meet the national standards for fireworks, Smith said. That means fireworks used in the display will be of the less powerful “residential” variety, said Reider, rather than the commercial types used during larger July 4 displays.

• Gave the county extension office permission to hire Molly Gosmire as summer help at $8 an hour.

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