Mayor Promises Quick Action After Old Citizen’s Bank Building Prompts Street Closure

NEW/THURSDAY:

JONESBORO, Ark. — Jonesboro City Council Member Chris Moore Wednesday alerted city officials concerning an issue with the former Citizen’s Bank Building, which resulted in a prompt review of the structural safety of the building.

“I was contacted by a downtown patron who first noticed what appeared to be a bulge on the East side of the building,“ said Alderman Moore. “Soon after, I personally visited the site and confirmed the concerning protrusion. I then contacted Mayor Copenhaver, who within minutes had the Fire Department and Fire Marshal’s office, along with city staff on scene to inspect the interior and exterior of the building,” Moore said.

Fire Marshal Jason Wills and Chief Marty Hamrick inspected the building determining a public safety risk could exist. The decision was made by city administration at approximately 3:00pm to close off a portion of Main Street, from Washington Avenue to Monroe Avenue, until a thorough analysis could be made to determine the risk factor.

The vacant structure has long been the center of discussion regarding the downtown area. It is currently part of private litigation that City Officials had hoped would shed some light on its future after more than 2 decades of various redevelopment discussions and ideas.

“For years the city has been hamstrung on our legal authority to force action on this building, said Mayor Harold Copenhaver. “ Despite being an eyesore, the building was deemed by independent engineers to be structurally sound – but that may no longer be the case.”

Copenhaver went on to say, “I am hopeful that there is a simple remedy to ensure it is safe, but if not, I will take the necessary steps to resolve the issue for good. I have reached out to representatives from both sides of the ownership dispute and hope to arrive at an agreement we can all accept,” Mayor Copenhaver stated. “However, let me be clear, I will not accept inaction that results in a long-term closure of Main Street. We have a responsibility to our local businesses and residents downtown to bring this to a prompt resolution. If that involves immediate legal and financial action by the City, then I am prepared to bring that matter to the City Council on an emergency basis.”

The closure is not expected to have a significant impact on this weekend’s BBQ Fest. Closure of Main Street was already planned to begin Thursday evening in preparation for the event and the restricted area is not designated for any festival events. City officials hope to have a better idea about the risk levels by Sunday, when the street is currently scheduled to reopen following BBQ Fest.

“Main Street was already planned to be closed for the festival, so it does give us a window to assess the structure. If it appears to require significant time for either repairs or analysis, we will make temporary traffic adjustments that would allow vehicle and parking access to businesses and residences in the impacted area South of Huntington.” Mayor Copenhaver added.

press release

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EARLIER/WEDNESDAY:

JONESBORO, Ark. — Both vehicles and pedestrians were rerouted after inspectors raised potential safety concerns about the old Citizen’s Bank building Wednesday on Main Street in Jonesboro.

Main Street, from Washington Avenue to Huntington Avenue, was shut down to both vehicles and pedestrians, the City of Jonesboro announced shortly after 3 p.m. on social media. City Communications Director Donna Malone told NEA Report an inspector raised concerns about the structural safety of the building, with worries that debris could potentially fall and strike either individuals or vehicles in the vicinity.

The building has been in a state of disrepair, Malone noted, but the concerns became immediate on Wednesday. She added that the fire chief was concerned that vibrations from traffic could dislodge something from the building.

It wasn’t clear how long the street closure was expected to last.

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