Sarah Plummer
Register-Herald Reporter
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Demolition began Thursday on a building that was once Lola’s Restaurant in Shady Spring. The building has been unoccupied since a structural fire several years ago.
The Abandoned and Dilapidated Enforcement Agency and the Raleigh County Commission oversaw the assessment process and expects that in three weeks the building will be torn down and taken to the construction and demolition cell at the Raleigh County landfill.
According to Sherrie Hunter, president of the agency, “once we received a complaint about the structure, commission engineer Detlef Ulfers did an inspection and deemed that it was beyond repair. The property owners have been very accommodating and have acknowledged the need to have the building removed.”
Hunter pointed out that “economic development relies on many factors. We want our city to make a good impression and we want to attract new companies.”
The purpose of the enforcement agency, Hunter said, is to “promote the public safety of Raleigh County by requiring repair, alteration, vacating, removing or closing of dwellings or other buildings that are unfit for human habitation. The agency leaves it up to the Raleigh County Commission to determine if the property is detrimental to the safety and welfare of the public.”
She added the agency relies on concerned citizens to bring dilapidated buildings to their attention. Those who wish to report a problem building can find citizen complaint forms at www.raleighcounty.com/DocCenter.aspx?id=10
The county program is one of only five across the state. Members of the agency include the sheriff, the litter control officer, one of the county sanitarians, the fire chief and the county engineer.
“We encourage citizens to contact us regarding buildings they feel are unsafe,” Hunter said.
