The Fairmont City Council approved an emergency ordinance for the demolition of the old Elks building at a meeting Tuesday evening.

Last week part of that structure collapsed, sending debris into nearby roadways.

City Manager Jim Snider says it is his duty to protect the citizens of Fairmont and that the building is "beyond a practical level of saving."

The city will have 60 days to demolish the building or sell to anyone willing to pay for reclamation.

Snider says he will follow up with agencies that have expressed interest in saving the building to gauge their means to make that happen.

Also at that meeting Tuesday, council decided to push back a proposed water rate hike until the city learns more about whats causing the problem.

Fairmont Mayor Scott Sears says right now it wouldn't be fair to impose the higher rates. He says the city has a mediation date set for August 28th with the engineering and manufacturing companies. After that he hopes to have a better understanding of whats causing the problem.

Sears says the issue will be revisited by council following mediation.