Inglewood to Help Pay for Razing Buildings

Eager to eradicate as quickly as possible all signs of damage from the recent rioting, the Inglewood City Council has voted to help pay the costs of demolishing buildings gutted by fire.

Officials estimate the city could spend as much as $150,000 to raze the buildings, but deputy City Manager Norman Y. Cravens said federal block grant funds could be used to fund the demolition.

Under the program approved by the council Tuesday night, property owners will be eligible for grants of $7,500 for demolition.

“Based on estimates that we’ve had,” Cravens said Wednesday, “that’s anywhere from 30% to 50% of the cost of demolition.”

In addition, the city will pay $10,000 to hire an asbestos specialist to determine if the material is present in the gutted buildings. Under state law, such inspections are mandatory before demolition can begin. If asbestos is present, special removal procedures must be used.

Inglewood officials have taken great pains over the past two weeks to stress that their city sustained relatively little damage in the rioting. Only 13 structures suffered fire damage in the rioting, compared to hundreds in Los Angeles.

Indeed, for the most part, the looting and arson in Inglewood was confined to the southeast part of the city that borders the area of Los Angeles where civil unrest broke out after a Simi Valley jury found four police officers not guilty in the beating of Rodney G. King.

The damage, however, occurred along the city’s main traffic arteries that serve as gateways to the city of Inglewood, Cravens said in a memo urging the council to approve the spending.

“At the least,” Cravens said, “the structures are an ugly reminder to residents and visitors alike of the lawlessness which spread into Inglewood on April 29 and 30.”