Bank Street building not in danger of collapse

New London — The building at 27 Bank St. does not appear to be in danger of collapsing, a building official said Thursday, a day after several panes of glass popped out of a fourth-floor window, crashing onto the sidewalk below and narrowly missing two pedestrians.

A blocked roof drain caused several hundred gallons of water to pool on the flat roof, according to Acting Building Official Jamie Salmon. The weight of the water caused the plaster ceiling to cave in and smash the windows.

An inspection of the property revealed that the building’s parapet, a low wall that extends above the front of the roof, is in “less than good condition,” Salmon said.

He said one lane of Bank Street and the sidewalk directly in front of the building will remain closed until scaffolding can be erected on the face of the building.

“Tomorrow we’ll have the windows boarded over and start the scaffolding as soon as physically possible so we can open both lanes of traffic,” Salmon said. “There are still chunks of masonry that we want to make sure stay connected to the building, but our first order of business is to protect the sidewalk and the street.”

The property, which city records say is owned by Five Star Investment, is being sold in a tax sale on June 21 because the owners are delinquent on its taxes.

Tax Collector Maureen Farrell said as of Thursday, the business owed the city $8,456.19 in taxes plus state marshal fees.

Salmon said the building’s owner, reached by telephone, has not been helpful.