BRIDGEPORT—Residents of this Lawrence County burg are wondering why the rush to get the old American Legion building torn down, after a fire destroyed it early Wednesday morning…and we’ve learned that it has to do with insurance issues.
Witnesses have reported to Disclosure that not only was Bridgeport mayor Max Schauf tearing down the building (which in recent years was being used by Schauf/his shell people as the “Red Hills Veterans Club”) this evening, but in his haste to do so, he managed to damage a car parked across the street at a dinner being held in a building there.
According to eyewitnesses, a red car was dinged up pretty badly when parts of the tile building fell on it as Schauf, his kid Mark, and several others were in the process of a partial demolition.
The demolition began at 4 pm. It’s unknown when the building was released as a “fire scene” (the fire marshal’s equivalent of a police “crime scene,” complete with taped-off, ‘do not enter’ areas); it was still said scene as of Wednesday afternoon when we were getting photos of it, though. Lawrence County dispatch sources advised that Schauf was told by his insurance company that the top floor of the building had to be knocked in, as it was a safety hazard. However, it apparently became a safety hazard when a portion of the building fell on the vehicle (which we’re told belongs to a Mr. Lancaster; the sheriff’s department had already been to the scene and “handled it”). Demolition, incidentally, continued to be conducted after dark, with no lights on the building, and no lights on the demolition equipment. Debris was being toted out to Schauf’s property in the country west of Bridgeport.
Now, the big question remains…who had the insurance on the building? Because according to Max, he didn’t own any interest in it. As mayor and liquor commissioner, he couldn’t. So he had a shell corporation formed and his girlfriend Bev Preusz “owned” it. It also remains unclear whether he was using city equipment to knock the building down…or if he was using his son’s “company” (TCB excavating) to do it…and why the operation in the dark. Which is appropriate for Schauf, as, apparently, he’s operated in the dark—at least where the citizens are concerned—for a number of years.
More as we get it, and be sure to check the next print version, where we’ll be featuring every rotten and questionable thing Schauf has ever done in the nine years we’ve been covering Bridgeport; if your subscription is due and you have in hand a postcard telling you so, but don’t think you can get a check or money order to us before Thursday afternoon, you can click the PayPal link and renew; but don’t forget you can have the convenience of having every article and photo in the paper brought to your computer screen by enrolling in an e-Edition membership, so you won’t miss anything that’s going on in the region!
Backside of the building, where smoke damage can plainly be seen. The front facade can be seen in the upper left of the photo, and a portion of this was said to have fallen on Lancaster’s car.