Engineer says dowtown building should be shored up

Workers should temporarily shore up and stabilize the east wall and restrict access to the north wall of a vacant two-story brick building at 115 S. Ohio Ave., according to an engineer’s report.

Structural engineer Kevin S. Goldstein, of Kansas City, made those recommendations in a report to the city Friday.

Goldstein inspected the building owned by Shawn Stovall on Thursday to determine whether its deteriorating condition posed a threat to nearby businesses. In his report, Goldstein said that there was “only a low risk” to the adjoining business to the south, Dick’s Barber Shop.

The inspection found that the east wall and the eastern portion of the north wall “are not stable at this time.” The report recommended the “immediate installation of temporary shoring and stabilization” of those two areas, and that access to that area be restricted.

Goldstein also recommended that loose bricks on the north wall be removed or secured and the wall be monitored until permanent repairs are made or the building demolished.

He pointed out that the absence of a downspout had contributed to water damage on the outside of the building. He also pointed to sagging wooden header assembly as a contributor to the damage. The inspection also found “significant mortar deterioration” on the exterior north wall.

Stovall said he had tried unsuccessfully to get 14 contractors to work on the building since he bought it in 2001.