WEST FRANKFORT (WSIL) -- In just a few short weeks, the City of West Frankfort went from possibly having a condemned building dropped in its lap to taking the necessary steps towards ownership of the property with an additional bonus.
News 3 spoke with Mayor Tom Jordan Sunday on the progress of reopening Route 149, .
That's when it was determined the Colemam-Rhoads building, which is divided into multiple sections, on East Main Street was in danger of collapsing.
"The building that we thought was going to collapse has been demolished, but the second building is also in really bad repair and it is coming down later this week," Jordan says.
His office has been working the phones for the past two weeks, speaking with the building's owners, and says they presented an unexpected offer.
"They will pay for the first building demolition, (but) they don't want to go any farther and they asked the city if we would agree to take ownership of that property and complete the demolition," Jordan explains. "In return they would also give us a structure, which is a church on west Main street."
Mayor Jordan says the City discussed it and chose to enter into an agreement to take ownership, which the council will formalize at its Tuesday's meeting.
"I feel like it's a very positive solution to a very bad situation and the city might actually come out even, or a little bit ahead, and our community is by far going to be a lot safer," Jordan says.
However, he adds that it is too early to determine what will become of the Church but a civic center is one possibility.
Once both sections of the Coleman-Rhoades building are demolished, the property could be turned into a green space.
He says those decisions center around investing in the city's future.
"If we don't invest in our community, as a city council, how can I ask you to invest in my community," Jordan wonders. "So we're making the investment and I think we're getting some good returns on it."
The City expects to have Main Street reopened by the end of the week.
