An Orleans Parish Judge signed an order late Thursday blocking city contractors from entering the Plaza Tower, the hulking eyesore on the edge of downtown, to assess its safety ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl.
The order, signed by Judge Jennifer Medley, came less than 12 hours before contractors with Indiana-based Renascent were set to begin inspecting the crumbling high rise to determine how to secure it in the short term, and, ultimately, how to proceed with demolishing it.
In a rare show of unity, Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montaño and City Council President JP Morrell held a joint press conference Friday morning to vent their frustrations with the owners, the estate of the late developer Joe Jaeger, and their latest legal maneuvers to stop the building from being demolished.
“Our goal as a city is to make sure Plaza Tower is secure and safe. The ownership group’s goal is to ensure they can either sell this building or reduce how much they have to spend to secure it,” Morrell said.
“This delay will impact public safety,” he added.
The city has been threatening legal action for years against Jaeger and the trustee of his estate over the condition of the 54-year-old building. It has been allowed to deteriorate and literally crumble. In December, the council approved a $2.75 million contract with Renascent to assess the building and ultimately demolish it.
On Dec. 27, the city notified the building’s owner they intended to enter the premises to begin the assessment. That assessment was set to begin Friday morning with a team of seven contractors, who flew down from Indiana this week on the city’s dime.
Instead, the city was served Thursday night with a temporary restraining order signed by Medley.
In court documents, attorneys for the building’s owners said they are already taking steps to secure the building and make repairs. They said in recent days they have gotten an estimate from Gibbs Construction to inspect, repair and clean up the building for $1.5 million, “an amount substantially lower than the city’s agreed-to price” with Renascent.
They went on to argue that allowing the Renascent contractors to enter the building to begin assessing it with the intent to eventually demolish it would cause the owners “immediate and irreparable injury, loss and damage… and destroy a historic landmark,” court documents say.
Medley set a hearing on the matter for Jan. 16.
Montano said Friday the nearly week-long delay is disappointing.
“It is vital for the public to understand we are trying to address this imminent threat,” Montano said. “Time is of the essence.”
The trustee for Jaeger’s estate, Randy Waesche, and the estate’s attorney, Chris Lemieux, did not respond to requests seeking comment.
This is a developing story. Check back later.