Lancaster, SC City Council voted Tuesday to go forward with demolishing the old Belk Building.

City crews responded to the Main Street building last week, erecting barricades after engineers warned that the building might collapse.

Council voted unanimously to give City Administrator Steve Willis the authority to contract with D.H. Griffin of Charlotte to demolish the building. The building was home of B.C. Moore and Sons after Belk moved from downtown in the 1970s.

"Tearing down the Belk Building is big for us, but its small potatoes for them," Willis said. "They're one of the big boys."

The back of the building is threatening to collapse, because water damage has caused interior flooring and roofing to rot. Officials say a natural spring underneath caused the damage. When the building was occupied, that problem was alleviated with a sump pump, but the pump was turned off when the building was vacated.

Catawba Street is now closed and a wooden barricade guards Main Street from falling debris if the back of the building collapses.

Willis said the demolition will cost nearly $201,000. Hauling away the asbestos-laden debris will cost another $200,000. Special handling by environmental-care workers will be required for the removal.

"It was obviously a very costly decision," said Councilman Audrey Curry on Thursday. "But it needs to happen now for the safety of the public."

Asbestos has been the impediment in tearing down the building, Willis has said. The S.C. Department of Health and

Environmental Control initially would not approve the demolition until the asbestos, a cancer-causing agent, was removed.

DHEC reportedly changed its position after a contractor fell through the floor while inspecting the building earlier this month.

Wayne Mabry of Mabry Engineering in Columbia said in a Sept. 12 e-mail to a city official that the building is about to collapse.

He recommended that no further activity occur in the building and there should be no removal of asbestos prior to its demolition.

Workers may start demolishing the building next week. They will work from the back to the front, using sledgehammers and a track hoe.

Willis said workers will take extra care to make sure the building's only common wall with North South Wholesale Co. is stable and waterproof.

Demolition and debris removal is expected to take about 30 days.

Once the building is gone, the land will be deeded to the city.

There are numerous ideas being tossed around on what the city may do with the property.

"We'll do whatever council wants, but there has been some talk about a visitor