After a lengthy discussion Tuesday night the Junction City Commission elected to move forward with the demolition of the former Municipal Court building located at 225 West 7th Street.

The building received extensive water damage last August following heavy rainfall, and was already in poor condition prior to that. The court moved to 701 North Jefferson Street on a temporary basis and the commission later elected renovate and expand the 701 N Jefferson location to make it the new permanent home of the Municipal Court.

The conversation Tuesday night was what to do with the building at 225 W 7th Street.

Cheryl Beatty, Interim City Manager, informed the commission that staff recommendation was to demolish the building and at a later point turn it into a parking lot.

She did say that the City’s insurance company, MPR, did agree to pay up to $30,000 in demolition costs, and the asbestos remediation would be paid for through money received from a FEMA grant.

“They agreed to spend up to $30,000, and so that gives a little room as far as the budget. Then we already got $2,500 from FEMA which will cover the cost of the asbestos remediation,” Beatty said.

Commissioner Jim Sands was in favor of demolishing the building.

“I saw the way water runs in there. That place is nothing but bandages stuck on a sucking chest wound just waiting to die,” Sands said. ” We can put all kinds of money into it but its a waste of tax payer money.”

Beatty did say that they will still have to go through the bid process for the demolition and demolition may not even occur until later this fall.

City staff will now begin looking into the cost of turning the vacant lot into a parking lot after it is demolished. Beatty said they do not have the parking lot budgeted for this year so that would be an item that they will need to discuss either for the 2015 or 2016 budget.

Commissioner Pat Landes did request that they consider saving the stone from the front of the building to be used in the expansion of the 701 N Jefferson Street building.

Beatty confirmed that they will include that in the bid process when they place that project out to bid.