The Parker Hotel demolition met a delay on Wednesday, Hillsboro Public Works Superintendent Shawn Adkins told The Times-Gazette.
The demolition of the former hotel was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but Adkins said there was more handwork than had been expected.
“It wasn’t anything major. We have to do a little work on the other building now so it doesn’t fall,” Adkins said. “The corner on the Parker House side — not the Parker Hotel — is really unstable, so we’re going to take part of that corner down then we’ll rebuild it once we get the hotel part down. We’re just going to take precautions so there’s no damage to the building.”
Adkins said the unstable corner is not the corner where Momma’s West Main Street Cafe meets the hotel.
As a result, the project may be extended.
“It’s going to extend it just a little bit,” Adkins said. “Hopefully only a day or two is all.”
Adkins added he was unsure if the work would continue through the weekend or if it would resume next week.
Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Brianne Abbott told The Times-Gazette that there are no plans for the space that will be left by the building’s demolition at this point.
”Our current goal is to demolish the building because it’s a safety concern,” Abbott said. “Once we get it down, we’ll talk about if we plan on economic development, a parking lot, or what, but we haven’t made any set-in-stone decisions.”
While the 100 block of West Main Street is closed, Adkins said last week that local traffic will be routed through side streets while semis will take Fenner Avenue, Harry Sauner Road or Hobart Road-Carl Smith Drive.
When the demolition begins, Adkins reminded those who may want to watch to be careful.
“I’m sure there are going to be a lot of spectators,” Adkins said. “If people do come up, be mindful. Just watch the debris because when it hits the ground, it’s going to bounce pretty good. We just don’t want anybody to get hurt. That’s the whole reason for closing the whole street down partially: to keep people back.”
A temporary fence currently spans U.S. Route 50 (Main Street) nearly to the sidewalk across the street from the Parker Hotel, and Adkins said some businesses in the immediate area have been impacted.
“The barbershop and Momma’s will be closed during tear-down,” Adkins said. “The other ones aren’t going to have drive-up access, but 24 Deli, people could walk to those, but it won’t be available for any driving on West Main at all.”
When asked if there were plans to salvage any materials from the Parker Hotel, Adkins said nothing will be salvaged.
“A lot of people haven’t been in it for several years. It’s in really bad shape,” Adkins said. “The wood floors are all hooved up from water damage. There’s mold in a lot of it. It’ll be sprayed with water for dust control, but we’re not doing anything for salvage.”
The city deemed the Parker Hotel, along with 119 W. Main St., uninhabitable in April 2019. A couple months later, the building at 119 W. Main St. collapsed.
In October, the buildings at 115, 117 and 119 W. Main St. — Slow ‘n Low Barbeque, Bon Appetit Gourmet Shoppe and Gifts, and then-vacant Town Square Jewelers, respectively — were demolished.
At a Jan. 13 Hillsboro City Council meeting, Mayor Justin Harsha asked the council if the city could use available funds to tear down the Parker Hotel. Council President Tom Eichinger said money was allocated to tear down the Parker Hotel in 2019, and the council voted unanimously by voice to use the funds for the demolition.
The following month, at a Feb. 10 council meeting, Harsha announced that the city had received a deed for the Parker Hotel and that the demolition process could begin.
He said asbestos has already been removed from the structure.
Reach McKenzie Caldwell at 937-402-2570.
