The older section of the empty Walnut Street Baptist Church caught fire this morning and that section of the building is a total loss with demoltion of that part of the structure taking place tonight. The building has sat empty since the congration moved to a new facility located on Old Highway 13. There was an attempt to repurpose the building as affordable housing several years ago but that fell through when the company planning the project failed to secure loan guarantees from the state.
According to the minutes of the last city council meeting, the city has appropriated money to demolish part of the building, although from what I have heard, the plan was to demolish the newer part of the structure and leave the original part of the church building standing.
Another Carbondale government boondoggle! How many buildings do they own now that are just sitting empyy?
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