Gibsonville’s aldermen have agreed to a contract to demolish a part of the former Dixie Belle building, which is now owned by the town and whose roof collapsed several months ago.
Part of two nearby streets have been closed off as a safety precaution.
The town bought the mill building last fall for $400,000.
The board agreed last Monday night to contract with D.H. Griffin for $77,600, the low bidder among four companies who bid for the demolition work. Bids ranged from Griffin’s low to the two highest bids, which were about twice that amount.
The westernmost portion of the building has had a roof collapse, which has prompted the town to rope off parts of Eugene and Wharton streets over the past few months for fear that the walls at that end of the building, listed as 138 Eugene Street, are unsound, town manager Ben Baxley had previously told the newspaper.
The town has not yet announced future plans for the 78,060 square-foot-building, although it is expected that the section to be demolished may be used for additional parking, Baxley had previously said.
Gibsonville’s fire chief, James Todd, told the aldermen during a closed session in September when they were considering the purchase of the building that because of the mill’s current condition, the fire department would not enter the building should there be a fire, according to minutes from that meeting.
The mill building, which was a cornerstone of Gibsonville’s vibrant textile history for decades, sits on a total of 4½ acres.
Read other Gibsonville news in this week’s edition:
- Christmas Parade for 2025 will start at 4:00 in the afternoon, rather than traditional 2:00 p.m. start time: https://alamancenews.com/gibsonville-will-experiment-with-saturday-400-p-m-start-time-for-2025-christmas-parade/
- Aldermen approve pay for town’s ABC board: $200 per meeting ($50 above state law’s maximum): https://alamancenews.com/gibsonville-aldermen-agree-to-start-paying-abc-board-members-200-per-meeting/
- Aldermen give mid-year raise to town’s 75 employees that will cost its taxpayers $331,000 annually: https://alamancenews.com/aldermen-ok-331k-in-raises-for-towns-75-employees/
TO GET MORE LOCAL NEWS EVERY WEEK – AND ONLINE EVERY DAY – CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE.
