City utility JEA may begin demolition on the former health clinic adjacent to its Conservation Center in Springfield.
The city issued a permit Aug. 30 for Michael Lloyd Hauling Inc. to demolish the 5,850-square-foot structure at 962 N. Main St., also addressed as 1002 N. Main St., at a project cost of $166,275.
JEA Public Information Officer Karen McAllister said Sept. 4 that crews will start by installing temporary fencing around the property for safety.
“Early next week, demolition is expected to begin inside the building. We expect the process to take two to three weeks,” McAllister said by email.
She said weather will be a factor in the timing.
Michael Lloyd Hauling Inc. is the contractor to demolish the one-story brick building that at one time was used as a public health clinic.
The site is at southwest Main Street and West First Street within the JEA Main Street Laboratory complex.
The property is along the Emerald Trail, a 30-mile network designed to comprise pathways, greenways and parks to connect Downtown Jacksonville with businesses, schools and transit and to connect 14 historic neighborhoods.
Duval County Property Appraiser records show the building was developed in 1940.
McAllister said Aug. 14 that the utility bought the property, which is 6.5 acres, in 1998 and has its Main Street laboratory on the site.
JEA has not used the smaller building set for demolition.
McAllister said an initial estimate to rehabilitate the building came in at $4.7 million in June 2022. That did not include interior build-out, technology or security infrastructure.
“It would have been a significant investment to bring it up to safety standards,” she said.
After demolition, JEA intends to develop the site with more landscaping “for more beautification of the property adjacent to the Emerald Trail,” McAllister said.
Demolition is expected by the end of September. Permit documents show the procedure would be a track-mounted excavator with hydraulic grapple.
The Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission reviewed and approved the demolition request. The 84-year-old structure is in the Springfield historic overlay.
During a May 8 inspection, Jacksonville Planning and Development Department staff found that inside, there were “substantial areas of water damage, extensive mold and mildew damage, and wood rot on the framing pieces of the structure.”
There also were threats of flooding from Hogans Creek, which is on the south side of the building.
“Hogans Street has been identified as a high risk area for flooding and storm surge,” the report said.