Blog

Jan 04, 2024

Deadline arrives for Main

The Bible says the walls of Jericho fell after a week of marching and trumpet

The Bible says the walls of Jericho fell after a week of marching and trumpet playing around those barriers — will it take some similar effort to remove a troublesome structure in downtown Mount Airy?

For nearly nine months, a barricade has existed on the street in front of the historic Main-Oak Emporium building, which suffered a collapse on July 5.

This has reduced the normal two-lane traffic on North Main Street at that location to one lane, posing access problems for both motorists and nearby businesses — especially with a portion of East Oak Street there also being closed.

The barrier was erected for safety reasons while debris from the collapse was removed and repairs were initiated by the building's out-of-town owner. But the patience of local residents has worn thin as the months passed — including that of Mount Airy government officials.

In early March, City Manager Stan Farmer announced that the barricade blocking half of North Main Street, a one-way route, would have to be removed by April 1. One consideration with this surrounds upcoming events downtown which would be affected by a continued lane closure.

And despite little or no apparent movement along those lines, as of Friday afternoon, Farmer was still holding out hope this week that the deadline would be met by those involved with work at the Main-Oak structure.

"The contractor leads us to believe they are optimistic it will be gone by the end of the day on Saturday," Farmer said of the traffic impediment.

"If not, there will be a fine per day," the city manager announced during a March 16 meeting of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners.

"I think it's fifty dollars," Farmer added this week of the daily rate involved.

The city manager earlier had expressed optimism about the situation due to repair plans being prepared for the building so a permit could be issued and facilitate work.

Skepticism abounds

Doubts were expressed this week in the downtown community about the deadline for the barricade removal being met. And the fact it fell on April Fools’ Day — a time for practical jokes and hoaxes — did not go unnoticed.

There also were concerns about whether the condition of the building merited that removal from a safety standpoint, given the repairs — or lack thereof — performed there.

"I haven't seen any work going on around that building," said a downtown observer who called The Mount Airy News this week to express his opinion on the issue.

He referred to the short time frame remaining.

"I don't know what they can do in the next 48 hours," the concerned local resident added. "But it doesn't look safe to me."

Jennie Lowry, whose Old Mill Music store near the barricade has been hampered by the limited access it presents for her business and others, said Thursday she had not witnessed any activity by work crews at the Main-Oak structure recently.

"I think they have left town," she speculated.

After many years of ownership by local businessman Burke Robertson, the massive Main-Oak complex that borders North Main, East Oak and City Hall streets was sold in 2021 to an entity based in Durham, identified as Mt. Airy One, LLC.

That sale coincided with plans by the new owner to develop Airbnb, also known as Air B and B, short-term rental housing units on the property.

No telephone number could be found for Mt. Airy One to seek comment about the barricade removal and construction plans.

Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.