Bids presented for demolition of Sportsman’s Bar in Monterey

Pulaski County Building Inspector Karla Redweik presented the county commissioners with some updates on the ongoing process to demolish and clean-up the vacant Sportsman's Bar and Grill in downtown Monterey. The building first partially fell down in 2015 and again on June 10 of this year. Redweik shared at the July 20 county commissioners meeting that during her time as building inspector, the property has transferred ownership several times, causing notices of violations to start over. This time, the property was at the final demolition stage when it collapsed on the morning of June 10. Once this happened, Attorney Jacob Ahler filed an emergency order for demolition. A hearing was held the Monday previous to the meeting, when the judge ruled in favor of removing the building to ensure the safety of the public. Redweik said that when the building fell in June, it partially fell into the roadway. County Highway Superintendent Gary Kruger and his crew came to Monterey to secure the area. The fencing that had already been put up around the property had to be extended. Redweik explained that she has not yet approached the county council, but she has spoken with Attorney Ahler and he said that she could go ahead and get some bids for the demolition. The county building department has a $40,000 demolition fund and the town of Monterey said that they would like to contribute to it, but the matter will have to go before the town board for approval first. She then highlighted some of the next steps.