South Bloomfield – A historical building that suffered sever structural damage in South Bloomfield when a semi truck ran into will start a new life after today.
On April 1, 2019 a semi tractor traveling Northbound on US 23 has crashed into a building in South Bloomfield, cutting off all electricity to the town.
According to police the semi started going left of center at the traffic light at South Street. He went across two lanes of Southbound traffic and started taking out telephone poles, a total of five, then crashed into the Kline eyeglass Doctors office. The building was condemned after the semi truck was removed.
The fate of the building was undetermined until today February 19th when a construction crew started work to tear down the turn of the century building. The demolition was a difficult one for the owners of Kline Vision knowing the building history originally they planned on restoring the building. A statement from the company was released days after the event.
“Now the daunting task has started to figure out the what the future holds for the building. At the present time we are waiting on structural engineers to determine if the building can be restored to its original glory. Many of you know that we love old buildings and houses and have restored many, including this building. It is sad to see the building in its current state. We have put a lot of blood, sweet, and tears, into this building, and we also have made many wonderful memories, that also gives us an emotional attachment, as well as many you. The stories we have heard are very touching. We must not forget that no lives were lost, and buildings and things can be repaired or replaced,” said Sharon Snyder Kline.
In in a ending statement Kline said, “We are staying focused on the positive, and that will get us through the decisions that are before us. We are so blessed with the outpouring of offers of help, and the encouraging words, your thoughts and prayers. Please continue to keep the driver of the semi, the people evolved in the decision making, of the fate of the building, as well as our family, in your thoughts and prayers. The Kline Family.”
The Klines released a new statement dated today February 19, 2020, “We would like to thank Mayor Pettibone, the South Bloomfield Police Department, Harrison Township fire department, and all the village officials for working with us through the horrific semi crash of April 1, 2019. As frustrating as the whole process has been, we are thankful that no one was seriously injured in this ordeal. For public safety the building will be demolished. The demolition crew is working diligently to preserve as much of the log structure as possible. At the present time the plans for the lot are undetermined and we are primarily focused on getting the building down safely. We appreciate everyone and all the kind words, visits, and prayers during this process. We sincerely appreciate our patients continued support and we hope to serve you at our flagship Circleville location,” Kline Vision Dr. Kline, Sharon, and staff.
Kline said during a interview at the site today that the historical parts of the building, the log walls and some of the structure will be saved and the deconstruction has been going slowly for that exact reason. The Company said, “the main focus of preservation is on the logs. A third party is taking the logs and reassembling them into a one story log cabin. We will not be involved in that process but are happy to see the logs given a second life!”
