.Youngstown First Ward Councilman Julius Oliver at the site of the former Anthony's On The River...by R. Michael Semple

YOUNGSTOWN — City council unanimously agreed to levy the $48,000 cost for the demolition of the former Anthony’s on the River restaurant against its owner, but the councilman from the ward where the building was located still insists it was wrong to take down the structure.

Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, questioned why the Aug. 22, 2020, demolition occurred, why the bill for the work was as high as it was and why the city is going after the property owner for the expense. Oliver’s ward includes the Oak Hill Avenue location where Anthony’s once sat.

“The bill should have never been paid until someone did an investigation as to why the building was demolished,” Oliver said. “It’s another case of an accidental wrecking ball. Oops.”

City council voted 7-0 Wednesday to levy costs paid by the city for the demolition of 30 structures to the owners of the properties. The largest, by far, was $48,000 to Two Bridges LLC, the owners of the Anthony’s on the River site.

The 30 structures were accidentally left off the annual special assessment list that council approved in October, said Michael Durkin, code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent.

Two Bridges and the city have lawsuits against each other. The company says the city improperly demolished the building and the city wants to have Two Bridges pay the $48,000 demolition bill from Steel Valley Contractors, which did the demolition.

Oliver said Wednesday that Two Bridges shouldn’t have to pay the demolition cost.

City council initially rejected, by a 4-3 vote Aug. 26, 2020, paying the $48,000 demolition bill because the building was taken down without prior notice given to council members. The demolition occurred four days before council’s vote and the day after it appeared on a meeting agenda.

The 110-year-old building at 15 Oak Hill Ave. was demolished without the administration letting council members know the work began. The administration said it was an emergency demolition made on the orders of fire Chief Barry Finley because the building was in danger of collapsing.

Council was asked months later to reconsider its vote because Law Director Jeff Limbian said Steel Valley was going to sue over nonpayment. Council voted 4-3 on June 2, 2021, to pay the bill.

Oliver voted against the payment both times.

“The administration tried to hide this from the councilman in that ward,” Oliver said, meaning himself. “Then I have to find out about it from a newspaper reporter that the building is down.”

Oliver learned about the demolition from a Vindicator reporter.

As far as the city getting the $48,000 from Two Bridges, Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th Ward, said: “We’re always hopeful to get the money. We’ll let it play out and be hopeful.”

As of Wednesday, Two Bridges owed $13,586.53 in delinquent taxes on the property, according to the county auditor’s website.

Durkin and Finley sent the company a letter on April 3, 2019, about their concerns over the building’s structural safety.

Two Bridges filed an appeal and lost and was ordered to make improvements, which weren’t done.

With bricks falling off the building, the emergency demolition occurred.

The structure was built in 1910 and opened as Anthony’s on the River in 1997, closing about a decade later and stayed vacant. Two Bridges bought it for $100,000 on Feb. 20, 2019, with plans to use it for a restaurant, offices and housing.

In its lawsuit, Two Bridges said it had repaired the roof, removed debris from the building and moved in an antique bar before it was demolished. The lawsuit also states Finley “was wholly unqualified to adjudge whether a structure posed an imminent danger warranting emergency demolition.”

dskolnick@vindy.com