City to demolish 508 Maryland Avenue

ALAMOGORDO — City crews will begin demolition of a residence at 508 Maryland Ave. on Monday, Jan. 22.

"This was one of the houses on a list that we've identified as dilapidated structures," said Alamogordo Fire Chief Jim LeClair. "There are a lot of homes in that general area that are dilapidated but that was one of the worst ones. We were just lucky enough that the owner didn't want the property anymore and just gave it to the city." 

Upon inspection LeClair said the residence, an old adobe structure which had been added onto several times, was dilapidated. 

"The portion of the structure to the rear was actually falling down," he said. "The floor inside the structure is completely dilapidated, you can actually see the dirt below the floor. There were also cracks in the exterior walls." 

Crews plan to demolish the structure and then remove the debris Monday and possibly Tuesday, if needed. During that time, the city is asking the public to avoid the area.

"We're asking for people to stay away from the area because there's going to be large equipment and machinery running at that time," LeClair said. 

Over the last year the Alamogordo Fire Department has identified about 100 structures around town to address, most of them located in central Alamogordo. In June, the city declared a residence on Rockwood as dilapidated and ordered it's abatement. 

More:City declares 1507 Rockwood as dilapidated

The city's most well-known dilapidated structure is the Sahara Apartments, which the city has been tied up in legal proceedings with the Sahara Apartments property owner for years.