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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint Journal readers have remarked that a structural engineer is more appropriate and if the building is condemned then why not tear it down,
From Eason's comments one could surmise he is in favor of renovation. We don't need heat if they drain the water lines. A $17 million projected deficit per the mid year budget review and we want to pay heat and management fees for this white elephant?
City of Flint to seek property manager for Genesee Towers
Published: Friday, January 07, 2011, 3:45 PM
By Kristin Longley | Flint Journal
FLINT, Michigan — It’s the proverbial 19-story elephant in the middle of downtown Flint.
Bought and paid for by Flint taxpayers, the dilapidated Genesee Towers building is under city control after a failed legal battle — but it’s still anyone’s guess what will happen with it.
The city’s latest plan is to hire a property management company to comb the building inside and out, assess its structure and inventory the forgotten treasures still inside.
City officials are starting that process this month.
“There are a lot of questions that are unanswered,” City Administrator Gregory Eason said Friday. “We really need to have some professionals figure out how to make some good choices in the future.”
The building evaluation would be essential as the city wrestles with whether to sell it or tear it down, he said.
Flint Journal file photoGenesee Towers
A number of parties have expressed interest in it, and with that interest comes questions — chief among them is whether the structure is worth saving.
Genesee Towers became the city’s tallest building after it was built in 1968 to house the former Genesee Merchants Bank.
Over the years, other tenants occupied the office space on the top half of the building — including the elegant University Club restaurant — but occupancy steadily declined in the 1990s.
Real estate investor V. Kumar Vemulapalli bought the dilapidated building at auction in 1997 for $500,000.
Concerns about the building’s structure, such as a crumbling facade, led the city to condemn the building in 2004, which led to the lawsuit by Vemulapalli and the resulting $8 million legal judgment against the city.
Every Flint property owner was charged an extra 6.751 mills on their tax bills in December — about $133 on the average Flint home — to pay the judgment, most of which went to the former owners and their attorneys.
Eason said the city needs to decide “as quickly as we can” what it will do with the building so the taxpayers who bore the burden of the judgment can be informed.
Flint City Councilman Sheldon Neeley has been adamant that the city get public input on what could be done with the building before it makes any decisions.
“The citizens paid for it,” Neeley said.
The property management company would also maintain the building for the city as its fate is decided, Eason said. It likely needs some cleaning, and there could be environmental issues, he said.
The city also wants a list of all the items inside, such as plates, silverware or furniture.
In the meantime, the building has been secured and insured. The city is also running just enough heat to keep the pipes from bursting and is keeping a “watchful eye” on it, he said.
A clearer picture of how much it costs to maintain, at least as far as utilities are concerned, will come as the bills start coming in over the next month or so, he said.
“We don’t have a lot of prior records in terms of expenditures,” he said. “We’ve just taken control and we really don’t know yet how much it’s costing.”
Eason said the city wants to send out a request for cost estimates from property management companies by the end of the month.
“We need to know what are the best ways for how we move forward and what are the next steps,” he said. “We really don’t have that answer right now.” |
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Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:52 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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shanedr January 07, 2011 at 7:16PM
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A structural engineer would be more appropriate. If they contract with a property management company the first thing that company would do (after collecting and cashing a check from the city) is hire a structural engineer.
Is there a single politician in Flint with the brains to solve a simple problem? Perhaps I should answer my own question with a resounding NO.
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Creeker40 January 07, 2011 at 9:19PM
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Who, in the Flint city administration, is just not tightly-wrapped? Have we not laid off police and fire employees? Did I not just read the city is millions in debt? Have we not all be told Genesee Towers is unsafe? Are city residents not angry because they are now taxed to pay for this huge "white elephant," that has created safety and traffic issues for years - yet, a money-maker for the sly/shrewd investor? If there is no money at city hall, why is there consideration being given for anything else but to demolish the building? There are too many negative factors that leap out at all of us over this issue.
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Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:55 am |
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