ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) —The Bobwhite Coffee building on North Westover Boulevard has drawn a code enforcement complaint after sitting on beams for about a year.

Thomas Gieryic filed the complaint with code enforcement.

“I just thought it’s a terrible eyesore,” Gieryic said.

Gieryic said his complaint was not directed at the owners of Bobwhite Coffee. He said he wanted to know why code enforcement had not addressed the issue sooner.

“It’s really nothing against them. There’s code enforcement, you know. And it’s not that they’re not doing their job, it’s just that they’re picky about who they enforce,” Gieryic said.

Code enforcement response

Code Enforcement Director Alejandro Ferrell said the department has experienced transition in recent months.

“You know, there has been some transition in this department over the last, several months, from the former leadership and things of that nature. And, of course, staff maintaining what they have to do. I think, again, it just comes to education. And that’s where we as a department, working with my leadership team, the deputy director and my two chiefs, need to educate the community. And, of course, even educate internally our internal partners on what we can and cannot do. That’s what I’m looking at.”

Owners explain delays

The owners say they originally planned to preserve the building and reopen a coffee shop at the location. The project faced multiple delays, including requirements tied to the new roundabout project, traffic studies and legal matters, according to the owners.

“You know, I know a lot of people were upset with us and thinking that we were just sitting on our hands, but I promise you the whole time we’ve been actively working, trying to pursue the development of that property and jumping through every piece of red tape along the way to try to get it there,” Bobwhite Coffee owner Dustin Gilbert said.

The owners say they have changed course. They plan to remove the building entirely and start from the ground up. They are working on moving or demolishing the building and will try to keep it presentable in the meantime.

“I feel bad about it. You know, I said, at least we can do is get the grass, keep the grass up and, you know, have it nice and neat. I know, you got this horrendous building sitting there. But I mean, hey, it’s one step to show that, you know we are ready to go. We are going to get the grounds and keep it nice and neat and trash picked up,” Bobwhite Coffee owner Cody Radney said.

Code enforcement said the owners have been given 10 days to address the property or face citations. The owners said cleanup efforts are already underway, and they remain committed to bringing a new coffee shop to the location.

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