Damaged Parkville farmers market set for demolition

The future of the twice-struck Parkville Farmers Market building was a topic of discussion at the Parkville Board of Aldermen meeting earlier this month.

At the June 7 meeting, director of public works Alysen Abel said the city’s Community Land and Recreation Board (CLARB) was in talks about how best to rebuild the market structure.

CLARB has discussed the state of the aging building off and on for several years, but the recent accidents have sped up the timeline for replacement. City officials are working with insurance adjusters to receive payment for the damages suffered in April and June. The existing building will be demolished by fall, with structural engineers stating it would not survive a high wind event or robust snowfall.

The building was already used when it was installed in 1987 and Abel said the second truck strike in June shifted the entire aging structure.

Replacement of the structure was estimated to cost around $800,000 previous to the two crashes. Now, the city will wait to see the insurance settlement numbers and tap parks sales tax funds to help pay for a replacement.

CLARB and the Parkville Farmers Market officials are discussing options for a replacement structure. A more simplified $300,000 structure is under consideration, but another option is to build a pricier enclosed structure that could serve as a year-round rental facility.