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Engineers identify structural concerns at Citizen’s Bank Building and make recommendations

Engineers identify structural concerns at Citizen’s Bank Building and make recommendations

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Engineers brought in by the City of Jonesboro have identified structural issues and made recommendations to the city.

According to North Delta Engineering’s Phase 1 Immediate Action Report, a brief visual inspection of the building was conducted on Sept. 25 due to concerns that “the east wall structure was deviating outward toward Main Street.”

At this point the main road was closed to traffic due to the concern.

On October 1, North Delta Engineering conducted a more thorough inspection.

That inspection found that two areas of the exterior wall appeared to have “lost lateral support and the wall structure has moved away from the building.”

The area between the stairwell and the elevator structure was considered the most concerning at the time the report was published.

Another area of ​​concern was above and below the 6th floor, but the report says it was more isolated.

The report states that the area branching off toward Main Street appears to be in danger of collapsing. This area consists of “vertical architectural precast concrete elements between porcelain-enamel panels.”

The areas are not considered sustainable.

Due to the risk of the precast concrete falling, it is recommended that a protective wall be constructed on the west side of the First Horizon Bank building, which is located across from the Citizen’s Bank building, as well as on the west side of the Mutual of Omaha building.

The report also recommends that the precast concrete parts of both problem areas be provided with side bracing.

The report then recommends demolishing parts of the facade up to the 5th floor, i.e. the original floor.

The Jonesboro City Council discussed efforts to protect citizens from potential impacts of the damage at its Oct. 3 meeting.

The council unanimously approved a resolution that would declare a state of emergency and authorize the mayor to use legal and technical services and allocate funds to build protective structures in front of the Citizens Bank building.

During a discussion about the resolution, Mayor Copenhaver said he would also work to provide council with a weekly report on funds used during this process.

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