Gov. Trimble Place in Hillsboro will be closed, likely for several weeks, as city crews place a decorative clock near the Highland County Courthouse, install streetlights, and demolish the structure known as the Armintrout building, according to Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Mel McKenzie.
McKenzie told The Times-Gazette on Monday that crews will have to cut through the asphalt on Gov. Trimble to install an electric conduit for the clock, which will be placed near the curb at the intersection of Gov. Trimble and North High Street, on the corner in front of the former firehouse.
According to Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings, the clock will be paid for with funds from a $78,000 gift donated to the city in 2013 from a trust courtesy of William Mason Jr., intended to be used at Hastings’ discretion.
McKenzie said crews will pour concrete for the clock and let it set for two weeks to cure before the clock company installs the timepiece.
McKenzie said workers will also install streetlights and brick pavers along Gov. Trimble, which McKenzie said is the only street in the uptown area that does not have street lighting.
Crews will also place streetlights and brick pavers along the block of North High Street catty-cornered to Gov. Trimble, McKenzie said.
According to McKenzie, crews will also begin demolishing the Armintrout building at the intersection of Gov. Trimble and Gov. Foraker Place in coming weeks as Gov. Trimble remains closed.
McKenzie said the demolition will take an estimated 10 days.
“It’s going to be a lot of hand work to start with because it’s a taller building,” McKenzie said. “We have to get it down to a safe level so things aren’t dropping on your head. So that’s going to be pretty time consuming.”
Hastings, who owns the building, has said it is blighted and beyond repair. He plans to create parking spaces for tenants of an adjoining property, including The Times-Gazette.
As previously reported, the city will front the expense for the demolition, estimated at about $30,000, and Hastings will repay it in full through tax assessments on the property over the next several years.
McKenzie said he has not yet received confirmation on the start date for the demolition, but the building will be down within the next couple weeks.
Reach David Wright at 937-402-2570, or on Twitter @DavidWrighter.
