City Buildings Recommended for Demolition

The Easton Intermodal Transit Center got one step closer to becoming a reality Monday evening as the city's Historic District Commission voted unanimously to demolish the former .

The Third Street buildings will be razed prior to final planning approval due to the need for site tests before bidding and construction can begin. The site will be home to a new LANTA bus terminal, a parking deck, retail shops and a high school hall of fame sports museum.

“The buildings have to come down because we have to do test boring,” Easton Mayor Sal Panto told the commissioners.

HDC consultant Christine Ussler said the buildings have no real historic or architectural value to the city. Both are relatively recent construction, with the theatre having been built in 1981. Neither building has been used for the last several years.

“Because the buildings are not considered to be...contributing resources to the historic district...and because it's not like it's going to be an empty lot...I believe approval is appropriate,” Ussler said.

The buildings will come down in late April or early May, Panto said. Construction bids will be taken in the fall, and construction on the intermodal project will begin in early spring of 2012, he said.

City Planner Becky Bradley confirmed LANTA has signed a letter of intent with Easton, backing the project.

LANTA Treasurer Fred Williams also expressed the transportation authority's commitment to the site as well.

“LA NTA has done an extensive study...and we have a firm commitment to the project,” he said. “It's an excellent location for us. We are committed to the project and we're hoping to move right along.”

In the time between razing the buildings and the beginning of construction, the space will not go to waste, nor become an eyesore, Panto said.

“We plan to use the space as parking this summer,” Panto said. “There will be meters installed.”

City employees that currently use the existing parking deck may be instructed to park in the new temporary parking instead this summer, to free up more deck parking for city guests, Panto added.

“We want to be more visitor-friendly,” he said.

Gravel and mulch will fill the building footprints until construction begins, Bradley said

A full-color picture of the future facility announcing the project will adorn a sign that will be placed on the site, Panto added.

Though it has not yet been placed on the HDC's agenda, Panto said the city will be back in front of the commission next month to seek approval for the concurrent demolition of a building at the Simon Silk Mill site on North 13th Street. The city plans to raze all three buildings in one construction contract to save money, he said.

The building, known as the “Francis Building” is 1960s block construction and is the only building at the mill site the city plans to remove. It's absence would form a gateway from 13th Street into the complex, Panto said. Currently, a loading dock on the building faces the roadway and sidewalk.

Like the intermodal project, the city plans to erect a sign announcing the project with a picture of the final plans on it, Panto said.