By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

The Pittman family has one more month to save a building in downtown Chadbourn.

Chadbourn’s Town Council Tuesday voted against activating an ordinance of demolition for 111 S. Brown Street. The structure, which abuts the Chadbourn Chamber of Commerce office, has serious roof damage that has affected the chamber building as well.

The structure is owned by Anzalene Pittman. Her son, William, appeared before the council in its April meeting to ask for two weeks to begin stabilization and restoration of the building.

The board voted to give the family until the May meeting to make some progress on the building. Pittman was to meet with town code enforcement officer John Ganus to discuss plans for the building before the May meeting.

The building is estimated to be 50- to 75-years-old, if not older. It has housed professional offices and retail stores, and most recently was home to the New Touch Creations hair salon. The building is currently empty.

Ganus did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, but in a memo to the board he included a letter of intent from T&C’s Services of Bolton, which has been contracted by the Pittman family to repair the building.

In the letter, Travis Jacobs said the company is “committed to repairing the roof on the back section of the building.” Jacobs wrote that work would begin April 27, and all debris, rotten wood and other problems would be removed.

Mayor Kenneth Waddell questioned whether the work had begun, but several commissioners noted that a construction trailer was parked at the building recently, “and some work appears to have been done on the roof,” according to Councilman Brian Edwards.

Ganus advised the board that they could vote to hold the ordinance of demolition or vote to proceed.

Edwards made a motion, with a second by Rashad Roberts, to give the Pittmans one more month. The motion was unanimously approved. Council member Jimmie Sue Ward urged the town staff to “stay behind them on this.

“We don’t want things like this to slip,” she said. “We need to make sure the work gets done and follow through.”

Interim town manager Bobbie Jordan advised the board that Ganus is staying in contact with Pittman to monitor the progress.

Waddell pointed out that while bringing the property up to building and fire codes will prevent demolition, ?that doesn’t do anything about the façade or the appearance of the building.

“Until we have some additional rules,” he said, “there’s nothing we can really do about the looks of the place.”

The board will review progress on the project at the June meeting.

If the structure is ordered demolished, the town will place a lien against the property for the cost of cleanup and disposal. Towns generally try to avoid code enforcement demolition of properties, due to the cost involved and negative public opinion.