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Vandals lead city of Flint to seal off areas inside Genesee Towers
Published: Friday, May 06, 2011, 11:40 AM Updated: Friday, May 06, 2011, 12:03 PM
By Kristin Longley | Flint Journal The Flint Journal
View full sizeEmily-Rose Bennett | The Flint JournalEmily-Rose Bennett | The Flint Journal An increase in vandalism inside the Genesee Towers building led city workers to seal off the inside areas and take Flint firefighters are on a walk-through of the structure to identify possible exits in case of a fire on Friday morning.
FLINT, Michigan — An increase in vandalism inside the Genesee Towers building downtown led city workers to seal off the inside areas this morning.
But first, Flint firefighters were taken on a walk-through of the 19-story structure to identify possible exits in case of a fire.
"Safety first," said building and safety director Jesse Buchanan, before leading firefighters inside. "If there was a fire, they need to know where they can get out."
Buchanan said vandals have been smashing glass, tearing down ceilings and spray-painting graffiti inside the Towers, home to a parking garage on the nine lower levels and 172,000 square feet of space.
The city's tallest structure, Genesee Towers has been surrounded by concrete barricades since 2007 to protect passers-by from falling concrete.
"We're just trying to prevent more damage from taking place," Buchanan said.
The city took ownership of the building last year after losing a long-fought court case that started after the city condemned the building in 2004.
The cash-strapped city was ordered to pay the former owners more than $8 million, and levied a 6.7-mill tax on all city property owners to pay the judgment.
The building's future is still unknown. A few developers have expressed interest in the property, but city officials have said no offers have been made. |
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