Judge declares historic Chestnut Arms dangerous

Presiding judge Traci Fann declared the historic Chestnut Arms building a dangerous structure during a hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Citing a clear and present danger to the public, Fann declared the property dangerous, but that does not mean the immediate demolition of the structure that once served as student housing for the now defunct Missouri Wesleyan College. 

“The building is not stable. That is my concern,” said Fann during a hearing whether to declare the Chestnut Arms a dangerous structure. “What if someone were to wander on the property, for whatever reason, and the building collapsed on them because it’s not properly supported with the proper joints. That’s my concern. An innocent citizen could wander on there and be killed if the building collapsed on them.”

Cameron City Building Inspector Paul Beckwith testified the Chestnut Arms became a dangerous structure after its foundation buckled. That buckle had a ripple effect throughout the entire structure, severely damaging walls, windows and door frames.

“The foundation has deteriorated to the point there are voids everything, above three stories, is resting on very little at this point,” Beckwith said. “… The walls are collapsing down and there is a danger of collapse of the structure. Also, in that report, I noticed termites have been in the floor joints and several areas have been weakened by termite infestation.”

Other concerns previously addressed by the City of Cameron also included improper electrical, plumbing and numerous fire building code deficiencies. In late March, Beckwith met with Roth Restoration Services of Olds, Iowa on site to discuss plans to renovate the building in order to comply with city building codes, but no repairs took place that were significant enough to bring the building up to code. Jody Barker, the owner of the Chestnut Arms said the delays came about as a result of an investigation by his insurance company.

“We don’t know what they’re going to do. It’s in their hands and it has been in been in their hands for months now,” Barker said. “… I do have a general contractor that has been engaged for months now. I know Mr. Beckwith’s testimony is nothing has been done in there to remedy, but there has been a lot of work done there to make it safe. There is no one in there. It has been cleaned out. There have been considerable things completed, just not structurally. We are working diligently with the city to try and get a resolution.”

Barker’s words run contrary to those of Cameron Community Development Director Tim Wymes. During a planning and zoning board meeting in May, Wymes said he and Beckwith attempted to resolve the issue since it came about in 2017. Following the latest delay, attributed to a contractor self-isolating due to a potential COVID-19 infection, city officials set a hard deadline of May 15 to submit a plan. 

Although Fann ruled the Chestnut Arms to be a dangerous structure, Barker still has an opportunity to make the necessary repairs. As Cameron City Attorney Padraic Corcoran drafts his conclusions and findings, Barker will have time to draft a settlement agreement with a plan to make the repairs. Should he fail to do so, the city will move to tear down the building.

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