Parkersburg URA to consider demolition of Kootaga Indian Dancers building
The front of the former Kootaga Indian Dancers Inc. building at 1349 St. Marys Ave., Parkersburg, is shown Monday afternoon. The Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority will consider tonight whether to demolish the dilapidated building. (Photo by Art Smith)
The back of the former Kootaga Indian Dancers Inc. building at 1349 St. Marys Ave., Parkersburg, is shown Monday afternoon. The Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority will consider tonight whether to demolish the dilapidated building. (Photo by Art Smith)
The front of the former Kootaga Indian Dancers Inc. building at 1349 St. Marys Ave., Parkersburg, is shown Monday afternoon. The Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority will consider tonight whether to demolish the dilapidated building. (Photo by Art Smith)
The back of the former Kootaga Indian Dancers Inc. building at 1349 St. Marys Ave., Parkersburg, is shown Monday afternoon. The Parkersburg Urban Renewal Authority will consider tonight whether to demolish the dilapidated building. (Photo by Art Smith)
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PARKERSBURG -- Acting as the Urban Renewal Authority, members of Parkersburg City Council will consider tonight whether to have a building used for many years by a local group demolished.
The property at 1349 St. Marys Ave. was owned until recently by the nonprofit Kootaga Indian Dancers Inc., which performs Native American dances and ceremonies. The city closed on the purchase of it for $2,000 on Friday, City Planner Connor LaVelle said.
"An increase in break-ins and emergency responses to the St. Marys building, paired with the dilapidated and dangerous condition, made it a situation that we had to act quickly to transfer ownership to the URA and request their approval to move forward with the demolition," he said via email.
The purchase of the building was made by Mayor Tom Joyce, under authority the URA voted to give the city's chief executive in 2022 to acquire properties for $2,000 or less without their vote. However, LaVelle noted the URA is still the decision-maker on the disposition of the site.
The property recently appraised for $3,000, but representatives of the Kootaga Indian Dancers "shared the City's concerns about the building (increase in break-ins, squatters, etc.) and agreed to the $2,000 so that we could act quickly," LaVelle said. "Following the sale, the Code Division worked to have the property secured and to ensure that Kootaga would be able to safely remove their remaining belongings."
A message left for a representative of the nonprofit group was not immediately returned.
There was a fire in the building's basement in 2017 after an apparent break-in. Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews said Monday there had not been any fire-related incidents there since then, but the department had responded to a "handful of medical calls" at the site, including overdoses.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.