Jared Boyd, chief of staff and chief counsel to the treasurer, says, "From an emotional perspective, it is tough to see a building that is historic be demolished. It is also tough to attribute blame when a building has been allowed to go down this road for ten years."
He says, "We're very open to working with any developer.... It's one thing to want to do it. It's another thing to have a feasible plan in place."
"This is not an ideal situation," Jones says. "However, we are stuck with this option...and have to execute it."
Maggie Crane, spokeswoman for Mayor Francis Slay, reiterates that the city would avoid demolition -- if a developer with necessary cash shows up in the next week.
"Our end goal is absolutely to have somebody come in and save the building," she says, "but public safety has got to come first. We have been asking for developers to come forward since November."
She continues, "We hope, we pray that someone can come in with the money."
But in its current condition, she says, "We do not believe Cupples 7 can withstand another winter."
Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Sam Levin on Twitter at @SamTLevin.
