On Friday afternoon, personnel were busy at work in fencing the property at 900 E. First St. On Monday morning, equipment from C&D Excavating arrived to begin razing the building which has stood for well over 100 years. By Thursday, the building was all but gone.
From housing a livery in the late 1800’s to car dealerships and appliance stores, the building has seen its share of business and activity. However, according to city administrator Dave Johnson, as of late the building has been used for cold storage, but has slipped into a blighted state.
“The building located on the property has seen a variety of uses over the years,” Johnson said. “From what I understand it served as an appliance store many years ago, then it remained vacant for a long period of time. Then it was purchased and used for cold storage.”
Lincoln County took the property as tax delinquent in February and transferred ownership to the city for $14,000.
“Due to the blighted condition of the property and taxes owed, the city requested the county take ownership of the property back in February for those taxes owed,” Johnson said.
At that time, the city had already issued raze orders on the property.
Johnson expects the razing and cleanup to be completed by the end of the week.
As for the future of the property, Johnson cites two options.
“The city will first attempt to sell the property for redevelopment,” he said. “If unsuccessful, the property will be used for downtown parking – but the city prefers the redevelopment option.”