Blighted, fire-damaged house at 503 S. Williams St. cleared for demolition

It’s been an eyesore for a long time but the blighted, fire-damaged house at 503 S. Williams St. in Bryan is one step closer to demolition. A recent inspection found no asbestos in the house, creating the go-ahead to be the first home in the county to be demolished through the newly created Williams County Land Bank. The house, which has been abandoned since suffering significant damage from an October 2015 fire, probably will be the first of 20 in Williams County deemed “blighted” that are targeted for demolition by the end of 2017, land bank board members learned Monday. The demolition costs are coming from a recently received $500,000 Neighborhood Initiative Program grant the land bank received from the state.