City officials want to be repaid for cost of demolishing old nursing center

City officials are pursuing plans to recover the costs of demolishing a one-time nursing center in a north Lawton neighborhood.

While that figure now tops $265,000, the tally is expected to increase because that figure doesn’t reflect the cost of removing asbestos from the structure before contractors could tear it down.

The building was the former Crest View Life Center, located at 1301 NW Andrews just west of Fort Sill Boulevard. While closed for years, the building’s end stems from a fire in August 2021 that left the building a total loss, firefighters said at the time. It was during a post-fire inspection that city officials learned just how extensive asbestos was inside.

Assistant City Attorney Tim Wilson said the city followed state statutes on condemnation procedures before deciding to proceed with demolition. After being tallied by the city, those costs will be given to the owner of record, who has six months from the receipt of that information to pay the bill. If the cost isn’t paid, the city will move forward with a “civil remedy,” Wilson said, adding that means court action.

The City Council originally designated the building a dilapidated structure in early 2022, saying at the time that utilities there hadn’t been active since 2011. The owner was ordered to abate the nuisance — meaning, either clean it up or tear it down — but the process didn’t proceed. That happened in May 2023, when the council approved the structure for demolition, work completed in July 2023. The council was told city attorneys would be pursuing legal action to recover costs, and the strategies involved in that process were discussed when the council meet in executive session Tuesday. Council members didn’t take any action in open session.

Wilson said the cost of the demolition project was driven by the building’s use: it is more expensive to raze commercial structures than it is to tear down a house. The project was complicated by the presence of asbestos, which must be removed in a federally-mandated — and typically expensive — process before the structure can be razed. The cost of the demolition has been calculated at $265,154.95, paid from the city’s emergency fund. But, Wilson said city attorneys want to amend that figure to reflect the cost of asbestos removal.

Wilson said he anticipates the county assessor will complete the tax lien process on the structure by March or April 2025, and once city and county officials have determined the lien is uncollectible, the city can proceed to court.

Wilson did ask the council to take one action Tuesday: remove a $1,900 lien already placed on the property to reflect the city’s cost to mow the tract. Attorneys said unless that lien is removed, it will be deemed uncollectible and the property will proceed to a county tax sale in June 2025.

“We don’t want it going to tax sale,” Wilson said, adding that removing the mowing fee will allow the city to pursue the larger demolition cost.

That larger cost would delay a finding of uncollectible debt until 2028, giving the city time to take care of the situation, he said.

City Manager John Ratliff said the council had another option: because the city staff is pursuing action to add the cost of asbestos removal, it also can explore the idea of adding the mowing cost as part of the overall bill.

“We’ll be suing the property owner,” Ratliff said of the limited liability corporation that owns the property.