Danger - Derelict building on the verge of collapsing on to North Street in central Kingston
Published:Wednesday | March 30, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
A rickety, old stone building at the corner of North Street and Text Lane in central Kingston is on the verge of collapse and could lead to a major disaster with loss of life.
But there is no immediate plan to tear down the two-storey building which is already falling apart and could soon crumble, hurting the persons who live in a section of the property and the scores of children from the nearby Kingston College, Holy Trinity High and St George's College who are among the many persons who pass it daily.
"Me know say it dangerous and me can't sleep at nights," said Winnifred Dunn, the owner of the property. "You see the front piece? When it drop down two years ago, the whole community run because it shake up everywhere. Is only God mek it drop late at night and never hurt anybody."
Standing metres from the section of the property she calls home, she added: "Father God nah go mek the rest drop pon anybody but me want it come down."
Dunn said she has tried to get workmen to demolish the building but that proved too expensive.
"If a could pay fi do it, I would do it long time ago but me need help and me ask the member of parliament, Ronnie Thwaites, and the Mayor (of Kingston) Desmond McKenzie but them no do nutten yet."
According to Dunn, the building started to rot after it was damaged by fire in 1988.
Once-grand property
Since then, the elements, including Hurricane Gilbert which struck in September of the same year, and other weather systems such as hurricanes Ivan and Dean, have left the once-grand property in a dilapidated state.
"Me a look help since them time deh and me also write to the KSAC (Kingston and St Andrew Corporation) and nothing happen."
But the KSAC said it was not responsible for getting rid of derelict buildings such as Dunn's, even though it is mandated to see to the safety of persons in the city.
'If the city engineer inspects it and deems it to be a dangerous structure, then we will serve notice on the owner to have it demolished," Town Clerk Errol Greene told The Gleaner.
"If the demolition is not done within a reasonable time, then the corporation will move in and take it down, but it (would be) at the owner's expense," Greene added.
He said if the demolition is done by the KSAC, it would be much more expensive for the property owner, so the corporation encourages owners to demolish their old buildings.
"If the owner doesn't do it, as long as it is dangerous, then the corporation will have to do it in the interest of the public," Green said.
He noted that in the past the KSAC spent nearly $2 million to demolish the old Portland House at the corner of East and East Queen streets.
According to Greene, if the property owner does not pay this amount, the KSAC has a right to claim the property.
City Engineer Norman Shand noted that he has already visited the central Kingston building and agreed that it poses a major danger.
Shand said the KSAC has indicated to the owner that she should demolish the building and the corporation is on the verge of serving a formal demolition notice.