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SAWHORSE
Construction work not permitted before building collapse
Jessica Clark, First Coast News 6:24 p.m. EDT October 2, 2014
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The 200-year-old building still sits in a pile of rubble in downtown St. Augustine. Questions have started to sprout up about the permitting process for this project and about the owner.
Len Weeks owns the historic building at 62-A Spanish Street that partially collapsed Thursday and then had to be demolished.
Related: Historic St. Augustine building demolished after partially collapsing
Weeks has a project planned for that corner, "and it all centered on the historic Fornell house," he said.
Weeks planned to strengthen the old foundation by digging trenches around the building and by pouring concrete around the foundation.
Meanwhile a city streetscape and public works construction project is underway on the same street. Weeks was trying to plan his foundation-strengthening project around the city's construction schedule. Weeks said a contractor for the city project gave him a two-day window to do the job, with a two week notice.
"The contractor said you need to come out here on the Wednesday and Thursday of that week," Weeks said. "And he told me two weeks in advance that I needed to be there that day to keep on that schedule." Weeks added, "That's why I was on such a tight schedule."
Weeks says he applied for the permit on Sept. 19.
Weeks said he had spoken with a city building official, "He said I should have the permit Monday or Tuesday." Weeks needed to start work Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Weeks said on Monday, Sept. 22, he was told the city needed a letter stating a "minor detail" about the project from the architect. The letter was submitted Tuesday, Sept. 23.
"Wednesday, either he (the building official) or I were busy, but the permit wasn't ready," Weeks said.
Weeks started the work Wednesday and picked up the permit Thursday morning.
Weeks and City Assistant Manager Tim Burchfied both told First Coast News it's not unusual for a construction project to start without the permit in-hand.
Weeks said, "Wednesday we started to do the excavation around the building and the first two walls looked fine. Oyster shell, like it's supposed to be. The foundation was all good. The next day we went back and finished the other two sides and unfortunately after we dug down, we found these two sides weren't as solid as the first two sides."
He said the "center section of the wall shifted, and once it's shifted… it's a coquina building with block walls and it started moving things around."
City documents indicate: an "after the fact" permit was issued Thursday morning around 9:40 a.m. Around 10 a.m., the city Building Inspector "does a building inspection on the footings and it does not pass inspection." Around 11:50 a.m., "Len Weeks contacts the building official and informs him that the building is collapsing." City personnel arrive on scene around 12:00 p.m. and the "job site is secured." Later the "Building Official and the city Fire Marshall declare the building to be an unsafe structure and immediate safety hazard."
The building was taken down with a controlled demolition that night.
About a week later, Weeks told First Coast News "I don't think had I got the permit six months or six days earlier, it would not have mattered because we would not have known any more about this until we dug it up."
Some people speculate Weeks wanted the building to fall.
Week said, "I would like one person to give me a reason why I'd want this building to go. It's probably worth half a million dollars. It had historical value I cannot replace."
He said he's heard all kinds of rumors, including the rumor that he wanted the building to fall because he wants to build a planned unit development (PUD) there.
Weeks' response: "I don't' need a PUD. I've got everything already done and ready to permit."
Another rumor about Weeks: he wants to build Flagler College dorms on the site.
Weeks' response: "That's not going to happen and not what I'm going to do."
Weeks is disappointed about the "disaster" -- as he calls it -- but is trying to move forward.
"I'm sorry this happened, more than anyone will ever know. I was very proud of that building."
He plans to rebuild the building and salvage some of the materials to incorporate them into the new structure.
Jessica Clark, First Coast News 6:24 p.m. EDT October 2, 2014
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The 200-year-old building still sits in a pile of rubble in downtown St. Augustine. Questions have started to sprout up about the permitting process for this project and about the owner.
Len Weeks owns the historic building at 62-A Spanish Street that partially collapsed Thursday and then had to be demolished.
Related: Historic St. Augustine building demolished after partially collapsing
Weeks has a project planned for that corner, "and it all centered on the historic Fornell house," he said.
Weeks planned to strengthen the old foundation by digging trenches around the building and by pouring concrete around the foundation.
Meanwhile a city streetscape and public works construction project is underway on the same street. Weeks was trying to plan his foundation-strengthening project around the city's construction schedule. Weeks said a contractor for the city project gave him a two-day window to do the job, with a two week notice.
"The contractor said you need to come out here on the Wednesday and Thursday of that week," Weeks said. "And he told me two weeks in advance that I needed to be there that day to keep on that schedule." Weeks added, "That's why I was on such a tight schedule."
Weeks says he applied for the permit on Sept. 19.
Weeks said he had spoken with a city building official, "He said I should have the permit Monday or Tuesday." Weeks needed to start work Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Weeks said on Monday, Sept. 22, he was told the city needed a letter stating a "minor detail" about the project from the architect. The letter was submitted Tuesday, Sept. 23.
"Wednesday, either he (the building official) or I were busy, but the permit wasn't ready," Weeks said.
Weeks started the work Wednesday and picked up the permit Thursday morning.
Weeks and City Assistant Manager Tim Burchfied both told First Coast News it's not unusual for a construction project to start without the permit in-hand.
Weeks said, "Wednesday we started to do the excavation around the building and the first two walls looked fine. Oyster shell, like it's supposed to be. The foundation was all good. The next day we went back and finished the other two sides and unfortunately after we dug down, we found these two sides weren't as solid as the first two sides."
He said the "center section of the wall shifted, and once it's shifted… it's a coquina building with block walls and it started moving things around."
City documents indicate: an "after the fact" permit was issued Thursday morning around 9:40 a.m. Around 10 a.m., the city Building Inspector "does a building inspection on the footings and it does not pass inspection." Around 11:50 a.m., "Len Weeks contacts the building official and informs him that the building is collapsing." City personnel arrive on scene around 12:00 p.m. and the "job site is secured." Later the "Building Official and the city Fire Marshall declare the building to be an unsafe structure and immediate safety hazard."
The building was taken down with a controlled demolition that night.
About a week later, Weeks told First Coast News "I don't think had I got the permit six months or six days earlier, it would not have mattered because we would not have known any more about this until we dug it up."
Some people speculate Weeks wanted the building to fall.
Week said, "I would like one person to give me a reason why I'd want this building to go. It's probably worth half a million dollars. It had historical value I cannot replace."
He said he's heard all kinds of rumors, including the rumor that he wanted the building to fall because he wants to build a planned unit development (PUD) there.
Weeks' response: "I don't' need a PUD. I've got everything already done and ready to permit."
Another rumor about Weeks: he wants to build Flagler College dorms on the site.
Weeks' response: "That's not going to happen and not what I'm going to do."
Weeks is disappointed about the "disaster" -- as he calls it -- but is trying to move forward.
"I'm sorry this happened, more than anyone will ever know. I was very proud of that building."
He plans to rebuild the building and salvage some of the materials to incorporate them into the new structure.
