The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has taken another important step to clean up an eyesore in downtown Tilbury.
Chatham-Kent Director of Building Development Services and Chief Building Official Paul Lacina announced late Friday afternoon that representatives for the property owner of 45 and 55 Queen Street North in Tilbury have now provided their work plan to the municipality to address structural issues identified during the demolition of two buildings in between.
The municipality previously noted that structural issues must be corrected before demolition work at 47 and 49 can continue.
Lacina said the municipality will now be arranging to have the debris removed from 47 and 49 Queen Street North in coordination with structural work on the adjacent properties.
"The Municipality of Chatham-Kent will continue its ongoing monitoring of conditions on these sites to ensure appropriate safety measures continue to be in place for members of the public traveling through the area," said Lacina.
CK Building Services received complaints in 2022 of a collapsing building at 47 and 49 Queen Street North.
A structural engineer confirmed the presence of a partially collapsed roof and structural failures and determined that the buildings were not fit for occupancy and required major repair or demolition.
The building's owner then received a municipal order to do a condition assessment and the necessary repairs, but did not comply and demolition was ordered by the municipality.
Pre-existing structural defects at 45 and 55 Queen were noticed during demolition and a pause was recommended by engineers until the walls were stabilized.