By Donna Thornton/News Editor
It’s still the calendar, not the clock, that is ticking on the old Noojin Building, but the City of Gadsden is drawing closer to a timeline for demolition of the long abandoned building.
Shane Ellison, executive assistant to Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton, told downtown Gadsden merchants bids should be in soon on demolition of the building, and he expects the building to come down sometime in April.
The city was able to purchase the building for a very reasonable price, Ellison said, and a plan to buy the old Department of Human Resources Building on Broad Street is in the works.
Having those properties gives the city substantial property downtown with a lot of potential.
Ellison said people often ask what’s going to be done with the DHR building when it’s purchased.
“The grand secret is, we don’t know yet,” Ellison said.
The fate of the Noojin building, however, was determined some time ago. Ellison said he understands people hate to see an old building like the Noojin go, but developers have looked at it over the years and do not believe trying to salvage the building for renovation and future use is feasible.
Ellison said it will not be an implosion-style demolition. A crew with equipment will be taking the building down, he said, because of its proximity to other buildings.
Still, Ellison said, he expects it to take only a couple of weeks to bring the building down. The demolition team won’t make more money on the job by taking a longer, he said.
