Knox Laundromat Demolished; Rubble to Be Cleared Soon

Knox Mayor Rick Chambers
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers
The old Knox laundromat is now a thing of the past, as demolition crews tore down the building this weekend after a lengthy salvage process. The contractor salvaged every item within the building, and Mayor Rick Chambers explained the landfill was spared the burden.

“Nothing from that project went to the landfill; he salvaged everything, so he’s taking the insulation, the two-by-fours, the metal. He has taken everything out of there and salvaged everything, and he’s now to the point where he was ready to demo the building,” Chambers explained.

The salvage work was performed over the winter, and Chambers said the warm weather finally allowed for the building to be completely demolished. Next, the contractor will haul out the material, removing all the stone, brick and cement before adding clean fill and planting new grass.

While there’s no official word yet on what the city will do with the new, clean space on the corner of Pearl and Lake streets, Chambers said they are mulling over some ideas.

“Some different things have been tossed around. We’d like to build a small gazebo on that spot, but it’s just talk at this point in time. If we decided to build a gazebo or a roof building, it would have to be something very substantial so it would withstand the test of time,” Chambers said.

Until a decision is reached on how the city will use the new space, Chambers said they plan to simply expand the green space in that area and make it the focal point of the city’s Christmas decorations this winter.