Forest Park chooses bidder for Kmart demolition

The City of Forest Park has chosen the Kentainer Demolition Group to raze the vacant Kmart/Daffin property on Waycross Road.

Kentainer, which had previously been hired by the city to demolish the 680 Northland building, was chosen in a council work session on April 14 and was approved by the City Council on Tuesday.

Kentainer bested six other bidders for the contract, coming in with an estimate of $139,000 - nearly $10,000 lower than the next lowest bid and nearly half of the highest bid.

Demolition will involve removal of the buildings and parking lots at 2215-2255 Waycross Road (BIRD'S EYE), as well as site grading and seeding.

The city saved money on the contract by having its Public Works and Building departments perform some of the preparation work, including a full environmental audit, the removal of fluorescent light bulbs and exit lights, the removal of mercury thermometers, the removal of underground car lifts and the removal of the Freon-containing HVAC units.

The Kmart property has been vacant since 1994.

City officials see this site as an opportunity for a mixed-use gateway project that will eliminate blight and create a more positive impression as one enters the city along Waycross Road.

Ideas for redeveloping the site have included marketing the Kmart/Daffin site in a package with adjacent Thriftway/Civic Center Plaza site, owned by Phillips Edison & Company, to create a much larger project, with infrastructure financing coming from the creation of a tax increment financing district.

No demolition date has been announced.

Previous reading on BC:
Commissioners okay Forest Park annexation (8/3/07)
Forest Park: Kmart redevelopment (5/23/07)