JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Jamestown City Council approved to demolish a portion of the building deemed dangerous at 202 Business Loop West.

In 2019, the building was deemed dangerous after the canopy collapsed and forced several businesses out. City Building Inspector Tom Blackmore stated that several conversations have been held over the past year regarding the future of the building.

In January 2020, the roof collapsed on a portion of the building following major snowfall. Blackmore says they restricted access to the Jamestown Salvation Army Thrift store while they cleared the entire buildings roof of snow. He added that right now, it would appear that the building was in fact two buildings, but it was undeterminable at this time.

Russ Melland, owner of the building, added that it would be cost prohibitive to repair just the roof. He added that they had determined it is not prudent to repair the structure, but rather demolish the east portion of the building.

Mayor Dwaine Heinrich asked if the east portion of the building was demolished, if the west portion housing the Jamestown Salvation Army would be able to stand on its own.

Salvation Army Major Judy Lowder stated that they had been seeking a new location within the community for their thrift store.

Lowder added that the potential to not have a thrift store anymore might need to be considered if they couldn’t find a new location within their budget. The council passed a motion to have the east building demolished by May 1st. The motion was passed unanimously.