With the Gentry High School homecoming parade a day away, the City of Indianola took matters into their own hands on Thursday morning and demolished the canopy connected to two adjudicated Main Street Buildings.
In this week’s edition of The E-T, it was detailed that the owners of 101 and 103 Main Street, the Sunflower County Ministerial Alliance, had made few changes to fully secure the building ahead of the parade.
While granting a 90-day stay of demolition last week, city aldermen made clear they wanted the entire structure secure ahead of the parade.
In parades past, many onlookers stand under the canopy to watch the procession.
That canopy, along with both buildings, had been deemed a safety hazard.
The city had received complaints from citizens about pieces of the awning falling down as they walked by.
Inside one building, the floor has caved in, leaving a drop of 15 to 20 feet due to the basement.
Some area youth have been accessing the buildings from the rear entrance, Indianola City Inspector Elvis Pernell noted multiple times over the last few months.
On Wednesday, Rev. Phillip McGee, the chief officer of the Ministerial Alliance, told The E-T that his understand was that he was to secure the back entrance only, and that he was not required to remove the canopy in the front, nor secure the front with a temporary fence.
The issue was solved Thursday morning, as city workers used implements of destruction to pull down the awning.
According to Mayor Steve Rosenthal, the city plans to board the windows and make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
