Kokomo OKs replacing umbrella bar canopy and PPG building demo bid
May 10—The city of Kokomo is replacing the canopy of the umbrella bar at Kokomo Municipal Stadium and spending six figures to tear down a building deemed "unrepairable."
NEW CANOPY
The canopy of Kokomo Municipal Stadium's umbrella bar is being replaced.
The Board of Works approved replacing the canopy at a price of $18,743.
The current canopy is "ripped and tattered," according to a memo by Torey Roe, parks superintendent. The new canopy is expected to be installed by the start of the Kokomo Jackrabbits season.
BID FOR DEMO
The Kokomo Board of Public Works and Safety on Wednesday approved a bid for $110,000 by Merritt and Son Excavating to demolish the fire-damaged building at 635 S. Ohio St.
The bid was one of two received, with the other coming in at $149,614.
The approval comes a week after the board approved an emergency demolition request for the city's Inspection Services Department.
The building suffered fire damage in October 2022. Since then, there have been no major improvements to the building, and its condition has further deteriorated.
Last week, the board was told squatters were seen in and around the building.
It has been vacant for several years.
Built in 1920 during a company expansion by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, the building housed company offices, according to Tribune and Howard County Historical Society archives.
Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.
