The building is gone, but the eyesore left behind by the demolition crew is not.

Consequently, Ottawa city commissioners said the city has an account to settle with CrossFirst Bank of Leawood, owner of the vacant lot at 124 S. Main St., Ottawa.

The building is gone, but the eyesore left behind by the demolition crew is not.

Consequently, Ottawa city commissioners said the city has an account to settle with CrossFirst Bank of Leawood, owner of the vacant lot at 124 S. Main St., Ottawa.

When the commission voted unanimously in mid-February to approve demolition of the buckling, historic three-story building in the 100 block of Main Street, a representative of the building’s owner, CrossFirst Bank, said the bank would make sure the subsequent vacant lot would be left in pristine condition.

“We wish we wouldn’t have foreclosed on the building now, but we take full responsibility for the building,” Jay Shadwick, the Overland Park attorney representing the bank, said before the commission’s vote this past winter. “We have a reputation to maintain, and we want to be a good citizen. I can assure you it would be the best looking vacant lot in the county.”

But the lot remains in unsatisfactory condition eight months later, city commissioners pointed out during their study session Monday.

The bank has not lived up to its pledge to make 124 S. Main St. the “prettiest lot in the county,” Jeff Richards, city commissioner, said.

“Nor the safest,” Gene Ramsey, city commissioner, chimed in.

The city might be forced to take the matter into its own hands, Bob Bezek, city attorney, told commissioners.

“We continue to remind them [CrossFirst] of their pledge,” Wynndee Lee, the city’s director of planning and codes, said.

Shadwick told commissioners in February the bank’s demolition team was committed to working with the city to ensure the demolition was done properly and the adjacent property owners were protected. Neighboring property owners said the exposed walls of the buildings adjacent to the vacant lot were of primary concern.

While the city might be forced to take action regarding the lot, it would be up to the adjacent property owners to take what recourse they deemed necessary against the bank regarding their buildings, Richard Nienstedt, city manager, said.