It’s coming down.

After condemning the dilapidated house at 223 E, Third St. during its meeting Monday, the Washington City Council awarded a contract to demolish the structure.

The $3,800 contract was awarded to Dudley Landscaping and Tree Service, which submitted the lowest of three bids to do the demolition work. If the structure is removed or demolished by the city, the city shall sell the usable materials of the building, according to a city document.

Allen Pittman, a senior building official with the city, determined the building is unfit for human habitation and its liability to fire. Pittman found the dwelling has bad walls, overloaded floors, defective construction, unsafe wiring and inadequate means of egress.

Pittman’s findings were sent to James Baker, trustee for Jamie Baker. The notice also included information about a hearing on the matter set for July 22. After the hearing was conducted, an order to demolish the building was issued that same day.

The property was condemned under the city’s demolition-by-neglect ordinance. The ordinance is designed to help prevent structures from deteriorating because of neglect. The ordinance includes provisions that provide time for a structure to be rehabilitated.

If the city hires an entity to demolish the dwelling, the cost of that demolition “shall constitute a lien against the subject property and shall also constitute a lien on any other real property of the owner of the subject property located within the City limits or within one mile thereof except the owner’s primary residence.” That means the lien against the property must be satisfied before the property can be sold or transferred to a new owner.

In other action, the council accepted Air Cleaning Specialist Inc.’s $29,929 bid to install a vehicle exhaust system at Washington’s headquarters fire station at the intersection of North Market and Fifth.

The council, during its Aug. 25 meeting, approved accepting a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the purchase and installation of a system that will remove vehicle exhaust from the station, which has several bays where emergency-response vehicles are parked. When those vehicles are started, they emit exhaust.

FEMA is providing $47,500 for the system, with the city providing $2,500. The FEMA firefighters grant was awarded Aug. 15, according to a memorandum from Robbie Rose, the city’s fire chief, to the mayor and council.

The exhaust removal system will be similar to the one installed at fire station No. 2 when it was built several years ago. The headquarters station is nearly 50 years old.

City Manager Brian Alligood said the exhaust removal system at the headquarters station will reduce the amount of toxic fumes firefighters/EMTs and other people may be exposed to.

For additional coverage of the council’s meeting, see future editions of the Washington Daily News.