By Josh Bergeron

The Selma Times-Journal

 

The Selma City Council has finalized a deal with Cooper Brothers Construction to demolish the Stewart-King-McKenzie Building.

Ward 8 Councilmen Michael Johnson announced the deal during the council’s work session Thursday. The contract was signed on Sept. 13.

The contract calls for Cooper Brothers Construction to complete demolition of the buildings and organize debris into piles. Cooper Brother’s Construction President Tom Bolton said the company would leave the building’s concrete slab untouched.

Bolton previously gave the city a quote of $6,500 to complete demolition, but stopped in 2008, during the economic recession.

Once he resumed demolition, Bolton said he was told by a city employee to stop work on construction because the city had found a new demolition agency.

Bolton returned to the city council earlier this month, offering to complete the work for free as a favor for the city.

Though Cooper Brothers will not charge the city for the demolition, Bolton said the company might generate minimal revenue from the deal.

“We will salvage anything that we can from the building,” he said. “But, it really isn’t worth the effort and there probably isn’t much to salvage there.”

After demolition, debris will be hauled to the city’s landfill, according to the contract.

Johnson said residents of his ward have called him continuously, asking about the city’s plans for the building.

“I’ll be happy to finally see it go,” he said. “People just want to know what is going on. It is an eyesore for the entire community.”

Once the eyesore is removed, Johnson said he would like to see the city repurpose the property.

“I think it could be used for a park or community center,” he said. “Doing something with the property would help the community for sure. Anything would be better than what it is now.”