People living in a Kitchener neighbourhood have been complaining for months about a building they say is unsafe.
The old Electrohome building on Shanley Street began shedding bricks back in January, prompting safety concerns from the city.
“We love the neighbourhood, it’s a beautiful neighbourhood, very diverse,” said resident Claudia Fitzgerald at the time. “The only problem here, it’s this building.”
CTV Kitchener reported on the unchanged conditions last week. Now, fencing has gone up around the building's property line.
The City of Kitchener told the property owner to get a structural engineer’s assessment by the beginning of February. That didn’t happen, delayed due to a pending tax sale.
The owner eventually paid those taxes, but the city is still waiting for a structural report.
Coun. Sarah Marsh said last week that if the site remains the way it is, the city should carry out a cleanup and add the cost to the property’s taxes, similar to what happens if the city has to shovel a snow-covered sidewalk.
Still, seeing fences going up is a promising step in situation that has been stagnant for months.
Andrew Spylo, who the city names as its contact for the property, says he knows the building isn’t in great shape, but he doesn’t want to tear it down.
The city says it has also been in talks with him.
