Rochester Towers Condominium appears “stable”; Residents still unable to return home

(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: According to the property management company FirstService, as of 4 p.m. Saturday all emergency shoring and confinement for stabilization of the Rochester Towers Condominium has been installed and officials say that the building appears stable at this time.

In an email to residents of the building, the vice president of FirstService, Shaun Zavadsky, says that the building will continue to remain locked and people are asked to stay away from it.

On Monday morning, engineering and construction teams are meeting to discuss repair options for the columns. Afterwards, the engineering team is set to speak with the city to discuss options for the residents to return to their homes.

In the email, the property management company says that there are more than a dozen units that will still be unable to return to the building for at least another week. These units are listed as #104, 105, 204, 205, 304, 305, 404, 405, 504, 505, 604, 605, 704, 705, 804 and 805.

Zavadsky says all of the remaining units should extend their alternative housing stays through Tuesday. He says that more information and a clearer estimate for return to the building for all other units will be provided on Monday.

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(ABC 6 News) – A downtown Rochester condominium was evacuated Friday evening due to structural concerns.

The City of Rochester Community Development Department received a call at 4:45 p.m. regarding Rochester Towers Condominium (207 5 Avenue SW) a 15 story building with 94 units in downtown Rochester. There is approximately 180 residents

A structural engineer articulated concerns about the building after conducting an inspection.

City of Rochester departments, including the Rochester Fire Department and Rochester Police Department, are assisting with the proactive evacuation of the building and all individuals within the structure.

City officials say cars are also being towed from the parking ramp out of an abundance of caution. Streets around the building, including 2nd Street SW, and approximately 150 feet in all direction of the building are closed.

The streets will be closed until the building is deemed safe. Once it is verified that the building is not occupied, first responders will turn the scene over to property management and private crews who will be working on the structure.

Rochester Community Development department will work with the property management company and contractor completing the structural shoring work.

The property management group is working with all residents to find temporary housing and the Rochester Emergency Management team is on standby to assist with temporary shelter through Red Cross if needed.

The American Red Cross set up a temporary housing shelter at the Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester. ABC 6 News reporter Theodore Tollefson caught up with Executive Director of the SEMN chapter of the American Red Cross Melanie Tschida Friday evening.

Residents of the Rochester Towers are being advised to make arrangements for the next 24 to 48 hours.

In an effort to keep everyone safe and allow public safety agencies to focus on the needs at hand, all members of the public are asked to stay away from the area until further notice.

The structural work at Rochester Towers Condominium will have the following impacts, effectively immediately on June 2:

• Complete closure of 2 Street SW from 4 Avenue to 6 Avenue
• Closure of northbound 5 Avenue at 3 Street SW
• Sidewalks along the roadways noted above will be completely closed

Traffic traveling to downtown Rochester destinations through at least Monday should detour along Civic Center Drive.

City officials gave an update just after 7 p.m. Watch the full press conference below.

ABC 6 News will provide additional information when it becomes available.