The last demolition of a structure by city employees of properties deemed a nuisance last year is now complete.
City of Picayune Code Enforcement Officer Tom Milar said earlier this month that five demolitions were initially planned. Two took place earlier in the month, and on Thursday morning the third started as a skid steer began taking chunks off the roof of a two-story apartment building before knocking down small sections of the wall.
The two remaining demolitions have been, or will be, handled by the property owners. The property set for demolition on Forest Street was demolished by the owners before the city had to step in, and the owner of a property on Cousin Street pulled a demolition permit to conduct the work privately.
Milar said the two-story apartment building was owned by John McKean prior to his passing. Milar said that after McKean passed away the property went into probate.
The building has been empty for the past five years, becoming a site for squatters and vandals. Milar said the walls inside the building were painted with various graffiti, including the phrase, “if you think this is bad, look at what the government is doing.”
As the walls came down, other graffiti was visible on the second floor walls, including a marijuana leaf, mushroom and the word “blood.”
Prior to the demolition, the building was stripped of all its metal, but not by city crews. Milar said the heirs attempted to repair the building by hiring a contractor, but since the owners live in Florida they didn’t know the person they paid to fix the building actually removed the metal stairs, metal sink and all of the wiring before leaving the area without conducting any repairs.
Public Works Director Eric Morris said it will cost the city about $33 a ton to dispose of the debris at Central Landfill in Millard .
Milar said an apartment building similar to the one torn down on Thursday, which was just next door and also owned by McKean, was demolished by the city in 2010. It cost the city about $16,000 to demolish that building more than six years ago.