Demolition delayed at First National Bank building

The start of demolition at the former First National Bank building on North Gray Street in Killeen has been delayed.

“Demolition cannot begin until power is shut off at the building,” city spokeswoman Janell Ford said. “Power was scheduled to be cut off (on Monday morning) for demolition to begin at 8:30 a.m.”

Workers at the site on Monday morning said they were still waiting on the power to be turned off before they could begin tearing down the main building.

Demolition was “tentatively” scheduled to begin on Monday after asbestos was removed from the building. In September, Houston company AAR began removing furniture and other items as it prepared to raze it.

Killeen City Council members on Sept. 13 awarded a $618,700 bid to AAR for the project, and it is expected to be “substantially complete” by Dec. 12. Through an interlocal agreement with Bell County, the city must raze the building by Dec. 31.

In July, Bell County Commissioners approved an interlocal agreement with Killeen. It gives the county shovel-ready land at 507 N. Gray St. for the construction of a more than 30,000-square-foot county government annex building within three years of receipt of the property. The new county annex will replace the current annex on Priest Drive in Killeen.

“First National Bank Texas plans to donate its former bank property and parking lots to the city of Killeen to be demolished (and) removed, and to make way for a new Bell County building complex ... to bring new life into the downtown Killeen area,” according to city documents.

Bell County is budgeting $10 million for the new annex building, which will replace the county annex on Preist Drive in Killeen. The new building will house the vehicle registration office and other Bell County offices.

In June, the City Council approved the removal of the former bank building from the historical overlay district through Ordinance 22-046.