Main Street to Fund Survey of Leeper Building
Constitution-Tribune, July 30, 2010

Per Chillicothe City Council's request, the Main Street Chillicothe Board of Directors voted Thursday in favor of covering the cost of the structural engineering evaluation and report with the firm of Trabue, Hansen & Hinshaw, Inc. of Columbia, Mo., despite the firm's estimated cost of $3,100 ($1,100 over the $2,000 Main Street had originally appropriated).

The executed agreement has been sent to the firm and was followed by a phone call. According to Main Street officials, Kris Bezenek, the supervising structural engineer with Trabue, Hansen & Hinshaw, Inc., stated that he will finalize the work schedule for the Leeper evaluation on Monday and would ask that the building be available later in the week for the evaluation itself. Following the evaluation, the report should be in Main Street's hands within a two-week timeframe, thereby complying with the city's imposed deadline of Aug. 31, 2010.

Deadline for Leeper
Council gives Main Street until Friday to choose engineer
Constitution-Tribune, July 27, 2010

The next continuum in the Leeper Hotel is in Main Street Chillicothe's hands. Council members voted unanimously against participating in the cost of the structural engineer to inspect the Leeper building at last night's city council meeting.

Councilman Tom Douglas made a motion to permit Main Street to pay in full for an engineer of their choosing, specifying that the city would not contribute towards the cost, giving Main Street until this Friday to come up with a decision.

The Main Street Chillicothe office solicited and collected cost estimates/proposals from four engineering firms. Once received, the information was then compiled and distributed to the Main Street Board of Directors. The board voted 5-2 in favor of Trabue, Hansen & Hinshaw, Inc., a firm out of Columbia, Mo., with a cost estimate of $3,100. The firm had completed several other projects that were similar to the evaluation of the Leeper Building.

City council members suggested last night that Main Street's interest might be just as served by going with Shafer, Kline & Warren, receiving two votes from the Main Street board, with an estimated cost of $1,800. Shafer, Kline, and Warren was also the only firm out of the four submitting proposals with cost estimates under the $2,000 contribution from Main Street. The council subsequently noted that Main Street can hire whomever they choose if they want to pay for it. "I don't see where it will benefit payng more," said Douglas. "It's still a problem that's not getting any better."

The 4-story wood and masonry structure located at 702 Washington sits vacant and in a state of disrepair. The council is giving Main Street until Friday to chose an engineer so that the inspection of the building could be finished by the end of August. If the city does not hear by Friday, the city can only assume that Main Street has no interest in obtaining an engineer for the purpose of possibly repairing the aged hotel.

Crystal Narr, Main Street director, said that her office received notice of the council's decision this morning (Tuesday) and had no comment at that time. Main Street Chillicothe is set to discuss the next step at a board meeting Tuesday afternoon. "We don't own the building," said Narr. "We're just trying to help."

City Owns Leeper
Aging building signed over; Main Street to find inspector
Constitution-Tribune, July 09, 2010

The City of Chillicothe is now the owner of the old Leeper Hotel. Council members had given prior permission nearly two months ago to City Attorney Adam Warren to pursue legal options to enable city representatives to get inside and conduct a structural inspection of the old vacant building in downtown Chillicothe.

Warren had been in correspondence with the building's owner, who just recently signed the old hotel over to the City of Chillicothe, and as of today, the Leeper is property of the City.

City Administrator Dean Brookshier said this morning (Friday) that the next step is having a structural engineer come in to evaluate the building. "The city's number one priority is safety," said Brookshier.

Main Street Chillicothe representatives went before the council in June stating that the organization could put $2,000 toward the cost of a structural engineer, in hopes of preserving the building as a part of Chillicothe's history.

Main Street now has four proposals from varied firms for the inspection of the building. Main Street has also requested from those submitting proposals additional information including examples of projects they have completed on this scope.

City Ready for Action
Council says Leeper building a threat to public safety
Constitution-Tribune, June 15, 2010

Chillicothe City Council members have directed City Attorney Adam Warren to pursue all legal options to enable city representatives to get inside and conduct a structural inspection of the old vacant Leeper Hotel in downtown Chillicothe. These options, the attorney said, may include taking possession of the deteriorating structure.

Warren acknowledged to council members during their regular meeting Monday night, June 14, 2010, at City Hall that the city does not want the building, but stated that the current owner is not making the necessary steps to improve it and that the structure continues to threaten public safety.
"We need to take action to get the bare minimum done," the attorney said. "My job is to prosecute people for ordinance offenses."

Barricades were placed around the building last month in response to the potential threat of bricks falling from the four-story structure which is located at the northwest corner of Webster and Washington Streets.

Talks about the condition of the 1884 building and its immediate future were continued from a prior meeting and involved input from Main Street Chillicothe representatives who had asked the city for time to actively get involved with the new owner and exhaust all possibilities before conceding to the idea of having the structure condemned because of its appearance and threat to public safety. Main Street has agreed to provide $2,000 toward paying for a structural engineer. Main Street Chillicothe, at this time, is not prepared to take ownership of the building nor obtain liability insurance stating that insurance estimates are upwards of $1,000 a month.

Ken Lauhoff and Eva Danner, both representatives of Main Street Chillicothe, also attended the meeting. Lauhoff said that three years of back taxes are due on the building and that it was time to make a decision regarding its future.

Roof Inspection at the Leeper
Constitution-Tribune, May 26, 2010
C-T Photo/Laura Schuler

CAPTION: The Chillicothe City Engineer Ron Urton takes a look at the roof of the Leeper Hotel while in a Chillicothe Fire Department aerial truck. Barricades have also been placed along the south and east sides of the Leeper Hotel, where vehicles park. Urton recommended the barricades, citing the danger of falling bricks.

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Future of Historic Leeper On Hold
Constitution-Tribune, May 25, 2010
By Catherine Stortz Ripley

C-T Photo / Laura Schuler

CAPTION: With boarded up windows the historic Leeper Hotel anchored at the northwest corner of the downtown square is an eyesore. The building is privately owned and has been vacant for several years. Main Street Chillicothe wants to begin efforts in trying to find someone to redevelop the building.

A downtown eyesore.
A majestic structure.
A potential safety hazard.
Irreplaceable history.

Once again, Chillicothe city officials are addressing the future of the deteriorating historic Leeper Hotel at the northwest corner of Washington and Webster streets. Councilman-at-Large Darrel Rinehart Jr., remembers similar concerns years ago when he served on the council from 1977 until 1995. "When I was on the council 20 years ago, we were fighting issues with the Leeper," he said. Little has been resolved since then.

Main Street Chillicothe officials, whose goal is to preserve the community's heritage while promoting economic growth in downtown, want to see the structure renovated and put to use. City officials are concerned about the structure collapsing. Main Street wants the city to allow them a year to find an owner who will redevelop the structure. The city is hesitating to grant that request.

Both groups met during the council's regular meeting to address each others' concerns Monday night at City Hall. The building has been completely vacant for several years and its current owner has no plans for its future, according to Main Street Chillicothe director Crystal Narr.

Tawni Summers, now of St. Louis, purchased the building from Doug Dennis in December 2009 for $1. Dennis had owned the building since 2002, operated his business from that location for a brief period of time, and made some improvements to the building. Now, Main Street Chillicothe wants to pursue an option on the building so that it can actively seek someone to fill it. While previous owners had good intentions of wanting the renovate the building, they all failed to make significant progress, Narr said.

CAPTION: The historic Leeper Hotel at 702 Washington Street was built in 1884 and is one of the oldest buildings in Chillicothe. The building has been vacant for several years and its deteriorating condition has been a topic of city discussion for decades. Main Street Chillicothe is asking for the city to allow them time to pursue a potential buyer who would renovate the building.