In this space — on more than one occasion — we have accused two particular property owners for what is affectionately termed demolition by neglect of their buildings. Those owners, Tom Bolton and the Freedom Foundation, own two of the more iconic buildings in historic downtown Selma.

Bolton is the owner of the old YMCA building, while the Freedom Foundation stakes their claim to the Teppers Building.

Both buildings are in deplorable condition and neither building has had any significant work in quite some time. Both buildings have an entrenched place in Selma’s history and both have become disappointing eyesores.

For weeks, months and years, we have seen the battle between the city’s historical commission, the Selma City Council, the Selma-Dallas County Historical Preservation Society and Bolton over the YMCA. It has been a debate that has spun into the type of soap opera even Telemundo would be proud of.

But this week, the council called a special meeting to make a final decision on the building. Thankfully, once and for all, action would have been ordered to either further require Bolton to stabilize the crumbling building or give him the permission he wants to demolish the building.

But, as it has been with this debate for years, the decision was again delayed. It was pushed back for another week, another meeting, another time.

We agree with Nancy Bennett of the Historical Preservation Society that Bolton — while the current owner of the old YMCA building — is not the lone party responsible for the failure the building has become.

The previous owners — the First Baptist Church — deserves criticism because they failed to further preserve the building and now, we consider the city of Selma in some ways complicit, as they have failed to act, failed to enforce their codes, their laws in ensuring buildings like the old YMCA do not become public safety issues.

Regardless of what decision is reached, or when it is reached, it is our hope the city has learned from this and will develop a plan, a way to ensure we never get to this point again and potentially lose more of our city’s history.

If we do not learn from this, then we will not only lose buildings to demolition by neglect, but we would have lost them to our neglect to act.