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ALTON - The old Hudson Jewelers building on Belle Street should be no more by noon Monday, April 10, Alton Public Works Director Bob Barnhart said. 

That building was marked for demolition on Jan. 19, 2017, Barnhart said. The current owners were attempting to convert the old jeweler building into a bakery, but instead found the building unsound. The demolition was set to take place a few Mondays ago, but Ameren Illinois had to protect a large transformer adjacent to the condemned building, as well as several power lines it maintains. Barnhart said it was imperative to hold the demolition on a Monday, so it did not negatively impact downtown businesses for their weekend crowds. The city is not officially footing the bill or handling the demolition, Barnhart said. That is being handled by the building owners and Kamadulski Construction. 

"As far as I know, everything seems to be going on plan," Barnhart said around 10 a.m. Monday. "I'm not sure about the rain impacting the timeline. We should be tearing it down within the hour." 

During the demolition, both the downtown portion of Belle Street and the Hayner Public Library branch have been closed temporarily. Barnhart said the street could be opened as soon as later this evening, adding the city is also prepared to have it closed until noon Tuesday - if the situation requires. 

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Cleanup following the demolition could be done within two or three days, Barnhart said. He said debris and subsequent back-fill should be completed within that time frame. He said the weather should not negatively impact those efforts, adding, "Mother Nature will keep the dust down for us," and "rain won't impact the progress of the job." 

After the building has been demolished, Barnhart said it will be replaced by a rock parking lot - assuming future developments are not slated by an outside private entity. 

The demolition can be watched live here. 

Barnhart said Kamadulski will tear the building asunder with various construction implements to destroy it.

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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