Demolition hits snag again

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For the second time the demolition of the Parker Hotel in the 100 block of West Main Street in Hillsboro has been delayed.

The city of Hillsboro sent out an email Tuesday that said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances with the party wall during the demolition of 137 W. Main Street, the demolition has been put on hold. We are working diligently to resolve, and continue demolition as soon as possible.”

The “party wall” is the wall shared by both the Parker Hotel and Parker House, according to Hillsboro Public Works Superintendent Shawn Adkins.

He said that while the city will likely release more information in the future, he could not say anything more Tuesday.

“At this time the city can’t make any more comments other than what we sent out in the email,” Adkins said.

The demolition of the building was supposed to start last Wednesday, but hit a snag when city officials determined more handwork was necessary than originally anticipated.

“It wasn’t anything major. We have to do a little work on the other building now so it doesn’t fall,” Adkins said last week. “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.

Officials said last week that the project could be extended due to the issue with the corner of the Parker House.

The city said Friday in a news release that it expected to be able to open the 100 block of West Main Street, which has been closed for safety reasons during the demolition of the Parker Hotel, to traffic by Wednesday, March 4.

Adkins said last week that the hope was that the project would only be delayed by a day or two. But apparently an issue that that the city can’t currently discuss has developed.

Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Brianne Abbott said last week that there are no plans for the space that will be left by the building’s demolition.

”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, local traffic is being routed through side streets. Tractor trailer rigs are to take Fenner Avenue, Harry Sauner Road or Hobart Road/Carl Smith Drive.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.

Barriers are shown Tuesday blocking traffic to the 100 block of West Main Street in Hillsboro. The Parker Hotel that is under demolition can be seen in the background on the right.
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2020/03/web1_Demo-Delay.jpgBarriers are shown Tuesday blocking traffic to the 100 block of West Main Street in Hillsboro. The Parker Hotel that is under demolition can be seen in the background on the right. Jeff Gilliland | The Times-Gazette
‘Unforeseen circumstances’ halt Parker Hotel’s destruction

By Jeff Gilliland

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