The Vandalia City Council is in the prcoess of getting a second opinion on the collapsed downtown buildings and what the next step should be. Structural Engineers Dave Clark and Mike Vangergast of ESI Consultants in Charleston were on hand Monday to take a look at the buildings. After their examination, Vandergast said there is only so much you can see form the outside. He stated they have video taken by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department drone and they will use that video to compare with their notes to give the right recommendation to the City of Vandalia on their next step. Dave Clark said the city has taken the right steps up to this point.
When asked for their preliminary thoughts, Vandergast said there is certainly some support missing that the buildings should have and Clark stated that time is of the essence to some degree. Vandalia Mayor Rick Gottman contacted them for the second opinion to see if any part of the building would be salvageable. Steve and Kyle Barker were on hand for the City Council’s special meeting on Friday and has inquired about the possibility. It is now visible to see some bulging on the wall at 501 West Gallatin.