Majestic rubble remains untouched

Heaps of rubble still cover the landscape at the site of the former Majestic Hotel, which burned Feb. 27. City officials say an assessment of the waste must be completed before they will know how to dispose of the debris.
Heaps of rubble still cover the landscape at the site of the former Majestic Hotel, which burned Feb. 27. City officials say an assessment of the waste must be completed before they will know how to dispose of the debris.

Nearly two months after it burned, rubble from the razed Majestic Hotel is still heaped in piles along Park Avenue near the intersection of Central Avenue.

City officials said Tuesday that the owner, Garrison Hassenflu, of Kansas City, Mo., has not acquired any permits to complete the demolition of the building as required by a condemnation order approved by the Hot Springs Board of Directors in mid-March, which gave him 30 days to secure the permits.

Bruce Maxwell, Hassenflu’s project manager, said Wednesday he sent out requests for proposals to about eight bidders about three days after the fire, received several bids, but there was “quite a bit of confusion” as to what the Environmental Protection Agency required.

Maxwell said he ordered tests on the debris and after that information was received, he reissued an amended RFP.

“I got those in about two weeks ago and I’ve identified a couple of removal contractors that we’re in the process of negotiating with. I have one down there today clarifying some questions. We also have an insurance claim on the adjacent building, which has some damage and we’re waiting to hear back from the insurance company about that. We could use some of that money on getting removal done,” he said.

Maxwell said no permits have been pulled yet for remediation work on the building.

“The contractor would pull them once I hire one,” he said. Maxwell also said he has not checked with the city regarding its stance on the status of the site since the 30-day time to secure a permit has expired.

City Clerk Lance Spicer said Monday that FTN & Associates of Little Rock, the contractor used by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for their Targeted Brownfield Assessment program, has completed its Phase 1 assessment of the site and submitted that to ADEQ on April 15.

Spicer said that assessment was basically a report on “all the activity that went on at that property over the course of its existence; kind of a history report.”

“Once they get Phase 1 complete, which takes about two weeks to get approval from ADEQ, then we’ll move to Phase 2, which is what we’re looking for. That’s the testing of the rubble to see what it might contain. That’s what we want to know. How they classify that waste will be a big determining factor on where we can take it and how much it will cost,” he said.

But until the Phase 2 assessment is returned by ADEQ, everything is pretty much on hold, Spicer said.

“I believe the condemnation became effective last Friday, so we’ve got that on our side,” he said.

City Attorney Brian Albright said the city now “has a lot of work to do.”

“We need to find out what has been done, try to get that information coordinated and then more forward with our Phase 2 assessment through ADEQ. We couldn’t do that until we were in control,” he said Tuesday.

Albright said the city would go through the Phase 2 audit of the property once it’s completed and see what is the most economically feasible and viable way to remove the rubble.

Depending on the type of waste found in the rubble, the city will learn not only what type of landfill the waste must be hauled to, but also the process for collecting and transporting it, Albright said.

“I would hope that we could have all that information available to us and we’d be capable of making a decision and moving forward within 30 days,” he said.

Shortly after the hotel burned, City Manager David Watkins said, “I assure you, it (the rubble) is not going to lay there six to eight months,” and Hassenflu said he was “working hourly” on the cleanup effort.

“All I can tell you is that we’re working on it on an hourly basis and will get the debris removed as quickly as we possibly can,” Hassenflu said in early March.

“If we were allowed to move forward with an expedited process, our goal would be to have it done before school is out,” Albright said in March.

Maxwell said Wednesday that “we’re working hard on that and on a redevelopment plan. I’ve spent quite a bit of time working on that.”

“The buildings are for sale, but we’re developers and we’re pursuing partners, investors, or new owners. We’re serious about wanting to make the best European-style destination resort for the existing building and the new site with new improvements on it,” he said.

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