A new Native American Museum plan is emerging from the rubble
The City of Kosciusko is hoping that once all is said and done, insurance will cover the costs related to the roof collapse at the former Leonard’s building on the square, and the subsequent collapse of the adjacent SBS building roof, as well.
“Our goal is to get enough insurance so that when we get done with this, we’ll still have the $1 million,” Mayor Jimmy said in a recent interview with The Star-Herald. That $1 million was allocated by the Mississippi Department of Archives & History and through a bond bill passed by the state legislature and overseen by the state Department of Finance.
At the July 3 Aldermen’s meeting, the board approved a $155,000 bid of Cain, Inc. to demolish the two storefronts and three small back buildings that were once home to Leonard’s Department store. Costs for disposal of the debris, including asbestos, will also need to be covered, but there is no estimate for that currently available.
The Leonard family donated the buildings to the city in December of 2015, with the city intending to repair and repurpose them to house the Mississippi Native American Museum.
Evaluation by architects and structural engineers at Canizaro, Cawthon & Davis indicated at the time that the buildings would hold up to renovation — particularly replacement of the failing roofs — and plans for the museum were drawn up, according to Cockroft. Had the city had any indication that the outer wall and roof would collapse during those renovations, it would have proposed razing it from the beginning, he said.
The first roof failures occurred overnight on February 22, as McKnight & Sons was working on the roof structures, rafters and asbestos removal. In April, following the initial collapse, the city sent McKnight & Son a letter cancelling the contract for the work as city officials and contractors began re-evaluating plans. That contract cancellation is still under negotiation, according to Cockroft. Thus far, McKnight & Son has been paid $89,000 of the original $617,900 contract, as well as an additional $28,427 for cleanup efforts following the first collapse. The city has also paid for and taken possession of materials the firm had already purchased for the project.
When questioned, the mayor said there is “currently no legal action” being taken related to the incident by any of the involved parties and that the city’s liability insurers have indicated the first incident is covered, with its cause determined to be wind and weather.
The collapse of the roof of the adjacent SBS HomeCenter building on May 25 is likely related to the weakening of walls between it and the Leonard’s buildings by all accounts. The city has referred the matter to its liability insurer, Mississippi Municipal Service Co., which is working with Kosciusko Realty, which owns the SBS building, and the owners of the SBS HomeCenter business.
While the Leonard’s building is demolished, most involved indicate that the SBS building is likely in good enough condition to be repaired.
Cain, Inc.’s demolition proposal estimates a cleanup timeline of about 30 days, with 10 days lead time for Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality notification, five to seven days for asbestos removal, and an additional 10 to 15 days to complete demolition and backfill the property in preparation for future construction.
The mayor said a few area residents have urged the city to preserve as much as possible from the demolition, but Cockroft said there is little worth saving.
“Cain is going to recover and try to clean the brick, so we may possibly buy that back but there’s really no salvageable material other than maybe that brick,” he said.
Although new plans have yet to be drawn up for the new-construction facility, there will likely be sidewalks on both sides of the building, possibly leading to a courtyard area in the rear. The city, he said, has no intention of he new building being constructed flush against the SBS property as the Leonard building had been.
Assuming the damages and related demolition are covered by the various involved insurers, Cockroft said the city will have until December of 2019 to spend the $1 in original funding. Although he said the city still hopes to complete construction of the new building by that deadline, they will likely apply for an extention to accommodate any delays that have or may result from the deviations from the original plans and schedule.
Asked how much additional funding will be needed to outfit and staff the Mississippi Native American Museum once the building is completed, the mayor said it is yet to be determined.
