JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There is still no word on what caused a parking garage on the campus of Ascension St. Vincent’s to partially collapse this week, and the buildings around it are still condemned and likely will be for weeks to come.
As far as when people will be able to get their cars that are trapped in the garage and what will happen with the site next, there isn’t much new information to learn on Thursday. Many are just left waiting.
On Thursday, there were a few crews going into the office building connected to the garage. It looked like they were carrying ropes and supplies but they were just doing minor repairs, News4JAX learned.
Here is what some in charge think will happen next.
The hospital will hire engineers to determine if the garage and the two surrounding buildings are safe enough to enter. Until that happens, and the city signs off on it, they will remain condemned. So at this point, the 100-plus cars still remain in the partially collapsed garage.
The city said the hospital is in charge removal of the vehicles and it’s not clear when that will happen or what company will remove them.
The office building associated with the garage and the residential unit used by the hospital will remain condemned until they can be inspected because there is concern that if garage would continue to collapse which could cause damage to those buildings and anyone who would be inside.
As for Ascension St. Vincent, the hospital itself remains open as well as the emergency room.
News4JAX tried to go to the hospital on Thursday to get some answers but we got escorted off the property. The hospital would only offer a statement.
”The investigation is ongoing and we have no additional details to provide,” the hospital’s statement read.
Parking at the facilities is still somewhat nerve-wracking for staff and those visiting like Negina Goosby who works nearby and brings patients to the hospital.
“I am scared something could happen again,” Goosby said.
News4JAX has been looking at permits but has yet to see any inspection reports. Those inspections are done by the hospital and are not public.
The city said once the garage is constructed, inspected and has obtained a Certificate of Occupancy, it is the property owner’s responsibility to maintain the structure.
“During construction, a building can be inspected by City of Jacksonville inspectors, or private provider inspectors, depending on the preference of the property owner. After the building permit is finalized, additional building code or maintenance inspections are not required,” the city wrote in a statement. The COJ Planning Department said it is not aware of any requirement for an owner to provide copies of their maintenance records to the city.
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