PORT ANGELES — A 200-foot section of the southern lane of Front Street east of Lincoln Street will be shut down from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for about a week beginning Monday to allow demolition of the derelict two-story brick building at 204 E. Front St.
“Starting Monday, the owner is preparing to demolish the building, which is good news for all involved,” said Mike Healy, Port Angeles Public Works director, Thursday.
“He is striving to get it done as quickly as possible,” Healy said. “I suspect it may go Monday through Saturday. It might go into the next week. I’m not sure.”
The traffic plan channels traffic to the northern lane for 200 feet and will return to two lanes near Lincoln, Healy said.
“I know people are going to be upset with the lane closure and it’s going to cause some backups. But I just want everyone to be safe and that’s the only reason we’re doing it.”
The traffic revision will be allowed only when work is going on and might endanger pedestrians and vehicles, Healy said.
“If he is waiting for a truck, he doesn’t have to open a lane. My goal is to assist him in getting the building down as quickly as he can without too much of a traffic problem,” he said.
Healy said once the contractor has a big enough pile of debris, dump trucks will be loaded in the southern lane of Front Street, but only when they are needed.
Although people won’t be allowed to walk past the demolition site, he doesn’t have a problem with people watching from the sidewalk on the northern side.
“This kind of activity always draws curiosity. I have no problem with that,” he said.
“My goal, from a public perspective, is to give you everything you need but get it down fast as soon as possible. I encouraged him to maximize the allowable use. So have his trucks lined up at 6:15 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. so he can start right at 7 a.m.,” Healy said.
Aman Sangha of Bellingham — whose company owns the vacant, two-story brick building at 204 E. Front St., on the southeast corner of Front and Lincoln streets — said in April he was awaiting better economic conditions before demolishing it, possibly for new apartments. The hillside shouldn’t be a problem in taking down the building, he said.
SIG Washington Holdings, Inc. of Surrey, B.C., owns the property, which is valued at $118,494 for both the land and the vacant 3,040-square-foot, two-story commercial building, according to the Clallam County Assessor’s Office.
Sangha is one of the company’s officers along with Gene R. Moses, also of Bellingham, who is a registered agent for numerous businesses in B.C., Washington state and Calgary.
The company bought it from David L. Gladwin of Port Angeles on April 12, 2022.
The sale came one week after the Port Angeles City Council voted to condemn the property following a fire in the building. The blaze was started in a shopping cart by a person attempting to stay warm in the abandoned building and grew out of control.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.com.
