The buildings on Tenth Street decimated by the April 16 tornado in Roanoke Rapids should all be demolished by the end of August, council was told at its work session tonight.

Brian Duhadaway of the Planning and Development Department told council the department has received numerous calls about the buildings leveled by the storm.

Complications arose because two different owners were involved as they sought state asbestos permits. With those inspections now out of the way, the state has issued demolition permits for the buildings, Duhadaway said.

The contractor responsible for the tearing the buildings down has until the end of August to get the job done. “We would like to see it done tomorrow,” Duhadaway told council. “They couldn't do a utilities release until they got the state permits. Now I think it will go pretty quick.”

Finance Director MeLinda Hite said the city should receive full reimbursement for its cleanup costs following the storm. The city spent $117,197. It has received $74.798 and is currently awaiting the balance.

Mayor Emery Doughtie said he was pleased with the progress that has been made and that the city had the fund balance to take care of the problem.