Tama Complex awaits release from investigators
It was anticipated that the property would be released Friday, but
"It's in the insurance company's hands to notify us when they're going to do that," Wells said.
Investigators from
Wells said a project manager from his office attended a meeting with investigators Friday.
"All we know is they're still doing some investigation," he said.
Work to clear out the rubble blocking off portions of Jefferson and Third streets cannot begin until the property is released. Temporary supports also must be added to the structure.
As for plans for the property, Wells plans to keep everything still standing and rebuild the rest of it as had been originally planned. He estimates the project will be complete in spring of 2020.
The project nearly was complete when the fire broke out, with tenants expecting to move in within the month.
"It was shocking and I couldn't believe it," Wells said of when he received news of the fire. "We've had so much time and energy in the project, and it was pretty devastating. It's still pretty hard to believe, but everybody's working toward the same goal and I think we'll have a very nice outcome."
In his 29 years as an architect, Wells had never had something similar to the Tama fire happen with his projects. Sprinkler systems typically are not energized until work is mostly complete, but he said that might be done differently in rebuilding the
He credited the response of the city, community members and
"The support from the city and the city government has been really significant," he said. "They're all maintaining contact with me on the project, and they're wanting to offer me any support or help any way they can, and that's a lot of what makes us want to rebuild."
Wells said there is still a significant amount of interest in filling the retail spaces on the first floor, though he said those businesses prefer to remain anonymous for the time being.
The project largely was financed with historic tax credits and a Community Development
"Everything is the same, except it's just a big delay," Wells said.
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