The Save-A-Lot store, 5956 Old Hwy. 21, in Otto was temporarily closed earlier this week after it was condemned because of structural problems.
On Jan. 30, the Antonia Fire Protection District and the Jefferson County Building Department deemed the store unsound and condemned it, so it was closed that day until repairs could be made.
The store reopened Wednesday (Feb. 4).
Engineers provided a temporary fix for the building until more permanent repairs can be made, said Fire Marshal Glenn Nivens of the Antonia Fire Protection District.
Both the fire district and the county signed off on the store reopening, Nivens said.
The tenant called the fire district to the store Jan. 30 to check the building. When district inspectors arrived, they found that the floor had dropped about an inch in the back of the store and an approximately 15-square-foot area was sagging where a store cooler was located, Nivens said.
In the basement, they found rusted and weakened floor joists, Nivens said.
“The steel was rusting away,” he said.
Styrofoam was covering the joists and had to be removed for the inspection. Tenants said the basement often has very high humidity, Nivens said.
“Once we saw the damage, we condemned the building,” he said.
The floor joists have since been reinforced and the cooler was removed from the damaged area.
Russ Queen, who owns the store but not the building, said “repairs have been made,” and he is informing customers about the situation when they inquire.
He had no other comment.