PEORIA, Ill. –Peoria’s Twin Towers is receiving over $500,000 in safety upgrades months after a fire damaged one of the two towers.
In March, a fire on the 26th floor of the East tower caused smoke and water damage, injuring one person and temporarily displacing dozens of other residents.
Peoria Fire Department Interim Chief Shawn Sollberger says the upgrades are necessary to bring the buildings up to code.
“It also needs to get done in a timely fashion because what we can’t have is the residents who are living there in that high-rise to be unsafe,” Sollberger told 25 News.
Despite supply chain shortages, most of the upgrades in the East Tower have already been done and paid for by the property’s managers.
Some of the renovations include new fire-resistant doors and upgrades to the sprinkler system. The fire department is now working with property managers to complete a plan to perform the same upgrades in the West Tower.
Sollberger says the buildings were last inspected in 2019, before the pandemic delayed annual inspections. He says many of the code violations then are the ones getting fixed now.
Third District City Councilman Tim Riggenbach says fixing up the buildings will be good for the city as a whole in the long run.
“They define the skyline of Peoria,” Riggenbach said. “They’re a critical feature for our downtown… An unfortunate situation like the fire and using that as an opportunity to make these upgrades is critical.”
The property manager S & S Property Management, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
