By MIKE JAMES - The Independent
ASHLAND — Work is visibly progressing on the former Sears building downtown and city officials are confident its owners will complete the restoration they agreed to last year.
There is talk of a client to lease the ground floor once the work is done.
New windows are being installed and contractors have been cleaning old mortar and tar from the sides of the building. Progress reports from owners Perry and Susan Madden indicate that contractors have repaired brick and mortar, repaired wooden parts of some windows and removed trash and old sheetrock from the interior.
Design work has been submitted for cornices and other architectural details. The details will be made of fiberglass and will replace damaged and destroyed masonry parts.
The project is likely to be completed within 60 days, city manager Steve Corbitt estimated. That goes past the deadline set last fall by the city but officials have seen enough progress that they are inclined to give some leeway.
“I can’t speak for the commission but he’s spent the money,” Corbitt said. “It appears he’s doing what we want him to do.”
The Maddens had agreed to an April 5 deadline to perform major restoration in four phases to the building, which had sat dormant for several years. The city commission had condemned the structure and was on the verge of ordering it demolished.
“We’ve been satisfied with the way he’s kept up. He’s reported on time and done what we wanted,” said economic development director Chris Pullem.
The agreement was confined mainly to the exterior with the goal of making the facade more attractive and less prone to falling bricks and masonry. Corbitt said in October the city would not pressure the Maddens to work on the inside.
However, there is talk of a potential occupant so some interior remodeling may take place. Corbitt would not identify the client but said it was a local business seeking about 6,000 square feet of office space.
