Demo continues on former public safety building

All around Niles people had their cameras out snapping pictures of a man that had climbed to the top of the tower on the former public safety building on South Third Street.

Mike Ruedinger, of Michiana Supernet, made the 155-foot climb in order to remove guide wires and safety lines from the radio transmission tower.

Minutes later, a crane pulled off the top half of the tower and set it safely on the ground.

City Administrator Ric Huff watched it happen from his view at City Hall.

“It certainly caught my attention,” he said. “That’s not a job I’d want to do. I’m glad they have people willing to do that.”

The city-owned property is in the process of being torn down.

The cost of the entire demolition project is estimated at $350,000. Huff said the city will likely pay between $40,000 and $45,000 of that. The rest will be covered by a blight elimination grant from Michigan Land Bank and donations from local foundations.

The project must be finished by Sept. 30, but Huff said he hopes it will be done by the middle of September.

The city has received some interest in the property, Huff said, but no commitment has been made.

The building has sat empty for approximately 10 years after the city moved its police and fire departments out of the 1939 building and into the Law Enforcement Complex on Silverbrook in 2003.

There have been discussions about putting high-density housing at the site once it is razed.