In their Monday, September 13 meeting, Miami’s Town Council directed town staff to seek structural engineering quotes for two buildings that were extensively damaged in the 2019 Sullivan Street Fire.

Town Manager Micah Gaudet reported to councilmembers that Miami had received bids from two contractors to clean up/remediate the buildings at 415 and 417 Sullivan Street; SHC and Viking, which submitted bids of $196,000 and $285,000 respectively. Both firms stipulated that, before starting work, they would require a structural engineer to conduct a safety assessment of the wall between the buildings. The cleanup project had been approved by the council before the Telegraph  Fire and this summer’s floods – “in the antediluvian days,” as Gaudet put it.

During last Monday’s meeting Gaudet asked for, and received, council approval to seek quotes for an engineer’s assessment. “I think we definitely need to move forward on this issue,” said Mayor Sammy Gonzales. Vice Mayor Dan Moat asked whether the engineer would be independent of SHC or Viking. Gaudet replied that this would most likely be the case, unless either fi rm had an in-house structural engineer; neither had included one in their bid.

Gaudet said that, depending on the cost of the engineer’s services, the town may or may not need to formally go out for bids. He was unsure of the time frame. Gaudet also said he planned to speak with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality regarding possible grants to cover the cost of the safety assessment. The town has acquired the two buildings, since in order to qualify for brownfields grants the applicant must be a government entity.

The fire hit Sullivan Street on Sept. 19, 2019, destroying three buildings and five offices. An  investigation concluded that its origin was undeterminable.