Demolitions continue

A crew from Madget Demolition of St. Joseph continued Monday with the scheduled removal of three condemned structures in Maryville, this one on the city's main drag at 222 S. Main.

The two-story house, which had been divided into apartments, was one of seven owned by Tom Hooker of Morgantown, Pa., who agreed earlier this year to tear down the derelict structures.

When Hooker failed to meet a July deadline for demolishing three remaining buildings, the city moved ahead on its own. The final house at 518 E. First, is to come down in the near future.

The Maryville City Council affirmed two weeks ago that tearing down blighted and dangerous structures is a top priority, and that as many as ten old houses could be removed over the next year.

About $75,000 was set aside in the current budget for such projects. No amount has been set, but a similar line item is proposed for next year's spending plan, which goes into effect Oct. 1.