Ultimatum issued to owners of crippled Jefferson City building

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

If the Jefferson City Planning and Protective Services Department has its way, the buildings at 200 and 202 E. High St. will not be standing by Christmas.

Sonny Sanders, the department's director, initiated a request for $300,000 Thursday morning, to fund the demolition of the buildings in the event that the property owners fail to act by Dec. 9.

The move comes nearly 18 months after a west-facing wall of the three-story structure collapsed into a pile of bricks and debris, leaving behind what the city considers a "dangerous situation."

"They've had a year and a half to work out any sort of negotiations on who's going to repair the wall or purchasing each other's property or whatever they want to do," Sanders said.

Ruben Weiberg, one of the owners of 202 E. High St., told ABC 17 News he is in strong support of the demolition of 200 but plans to file "a substantial lawsuit" against the city if it demolishes his building.

"They think they have the power to do this but they don't," said Weiberg. "They're making this up as they go."