Hillsboro orders store fixed or razed
Staff writer
The owner of a Hillsboro building that last housed Quick Flick Video and Radio Shack will have to repair its roof or the city will take action.
The roof of the two-story building at 101 S. Main St. has leaked so badly and so long that water has damaged the ground level of the building. Since September, building inspector Ben Steketee has made reports to city council members about the building.
Because of damage, the building has been ruled unsafe or dangerous. According to a city notice being published this week, work needs to include repair or demolition and removal of all structures, including concrete, rocks, stones, trash, and unsightly vegetation.
The city estimates the cost of repairs at $16,000.
Hillsboro mayor Lou Thurston earlier said the owner, George Yang, was believed to have returned to his native China. Yang now is believed to have moved back to Wichita.
Letters sent to Yang have returned as undeliverable, however.
The city’s goal is to preserve a historic building that once housed a clothing store on the street level and an overall and coverall manufacturer on the second story.
Council members have said they consider it “a cornerstone building” and would hate to raze it.
A restaurant in the back portion of the building, Panda Kitchen, 107 W Grand Ave., won’t be affected, Thurston said. The roof over Panda Kitchen is not leaking.
Another food establishment, Mama C’s Take and Bake, 111 W Grand Ave., is likewise unaffected.
City officials earlier reached out to Emprise Bank, which holds a mortgage on the building, and were told there was nothing the bank could do as long as mortgage payments were current, which apparently is the case.
Yang will have 45 days to answer the city’s resolution and make repairs or come to the council with a plan for repairs, Thurston said.
The city could choose to have needed repairs made or to demolish the building. In either event, it could invoke a lien against the building to cover costs.
Owners of Panda Kitchen, who rent their location from Yang, could not be reached for comment.
A sign on the door of the Chinese restaurant announces it is closed for the holiday and will reopen Dec. 1.