The Monterey Town Council will decide tonight how to proceed with the cleanup of the former Sportsman’s Bar and Grill. The vacant building collapsed on Thursday, April 23rd. Nobody was injured. The area around the structure at the southeast corner of Walnut and Main Streets in downtown Monterey is blocked off. Pulaski County Building Inspector Dave Dare hired a Valparaiso-based contractor to inspect the rubble for asbestos. If any is found, special precautions will need to be followed to clean the site up. Dare will share that information with the Monterey Town Council during a special-called meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
The building has been vacant since 2011. Dare believes water damage weakened the brick and caused the collapse. It was recently sold at a tax certificate sale, but the transfer of ownership has not been finalized. During a meeting last week Dare told the Monterey Town Council he finally spoke the owner and was told there is not insurance on the building. She also told him she would not be able to help financially with the cleanup.
