The Merced County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting on Tuesday will weigh whether the historic former Merced County library building that was destroyed by a fire amounts to an emergency.
Public Works Directors Nathan Bray is asking the Board of Supervisors to vote to find the situation is an emergency, in order expedite cleanup of the debris.
According to a county staff report, gas service was shut off to the adjacent court building, making it unusable and disrupting courthouse operations for civil cases, as well as presenting imminent danger.
The fire erupted on Monday, Dec. 2, at the building on 22nd and M streets and damage to the building was extensive.
Demolition work began later Dec. 2, as there was danger the remaining walls could collapse and threaten nearby structures, including the Merced Superior Court building and walkways.
ABC 30 reported an escavator got stuck in the building during last Monday’s demolition work. Fortunately no one was hurt.
A cause of the fire has not been revealed.
Built in 1897, the three-story, 13,182-square-foot building was a high school until 1920, when the institution moved to a larger facility on G Street, the release said.
The library took over the building in 1921 and remodeled it. The library relocated in 1976 after outgrowing the space.
There were some efforts over the years to renovate the vacant building over the years. Still, none came to fruition, leaving the structure to remain a boarded-up piece of local history.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.