Four weeks after the contents of Beechworth’s IGA supermarket were destroyed by fire, the spoiled goods continue to sit in the building – rotting and stinking.
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The people who care most about fixing the issue for the town have been frustratingly left with their hands tied.
They all have to wait for insurance assessors, who have given no indication of a timeframe.
Building owner Jim McCormack visited the Beechworth site on Friday in his latest attempt for answers.
“We’re still waiting for building assessor reports,” he said.
“That’s the most unfortunate and frustrating part because we want to plan to rebuild.
“I would have thought some action would have been taken within 10 days.”
Mr McCormack was at the scene the day after the fire, instantly declaring his intention to rebuild, whether within the existing walls or with a completely new structure if it was ruled unsafe.
But he has not been able to make any progress.
The building owner helped launch the supermarket 16 years ago to ensure Beechworth could be self-sufficient and was keen to get back to that as soon as possible.
“The longer it drags on, small problems get bigger,” Mr McCormack said.
“Even if we have to rebuild, we’ll make sure we keep with the heritage.”
Indigo Shire could not get answers either.
The council’s executive officer Gerry Smith told a special meeting this week he had been in continued contact with Ritchies Supermarkets.
“There are safety issues at that site and they’ve been pressuring their insurers to reach a decision on whether the building needs to be demolished or not,” he said.
Cr Jenny O’Connor called for a timeframe to be set so the community could be told when the building would be demolished.
“Until that happens the smell won’t go away because to my understanding, due to the fire, perishables and canned food actually exploded,” she said.
Cr Bernard Gaffney said he continued to receive complaints about the smell coming from the building, which was worse at different times of the day.
“People who live close to it can’t open their windows,” Cr Gaffney said.