By DAVID COLBURN

News editor

At a public hearing Tuesday, city councilors deferred till February a decision about possibly condemning the former Prime Time gas station.

The property was one of four the council held hearings for, but the Prime Time property generated the most lively and contentious discussion.

Code enforcement officer Ben Steketee listed substandard and hazardous conditions that included material falling from the canopy in front of the building, loose siding, an open room allowing people to enter the building, a potential sinkhole in the sagging drive, and rotting in the structure’s north wall that could cause the building to collapse. He estimated the cost of repairs to be $11,000.

Sammy Derbas, a contractor for the property owner, said work started last week to address the problems, but was halted by bad weather. He said the building is structurally sound, and owners don’t want to tear the building down.

Doug Wright of Wright’s Auto Sales said that after 10 years of watching the building deteriorate, it was time for it to be demolished.

Wright maintained the gasoline storage tanks were still in the ground, which Steketee and others initially disputed because of excavation that had taken place there. The excavation was opposite where the tanks were installed, Wright said.

Council member Byron McCarty agreed with Wright’s suggestion that a structural engineer should evaluate the building, and following further discussion, the council directed City Administrator Larry Paine to arrange for an assessment.

Derbas said his crew would fix the canopy to make it safe

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