Kali Thiel

Sheboygan Press Media

The city is one step closer to the demolition of the former Boston Store in downtown Sheboygan after members of the Finance Committee unanimously approved on Monday a $341,900 bid from C. Spielvogel and Sons of Sheboygan.

The bid is nearly $92,000 above what the city had anticipated the demolition would cost. The Spielvogel figure was the lowest bid received, however, with others coming in over triple the city’s original estimate, according to city documents.

The additional cost will be covered with dollars available through a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program, said Committee Chairman Don Hammond.

The city plans to turn the site into a green space corridor to connect the John Michael Kohler Arts Center to the rest of the downtown area. Long-term, the hope is to develop businesses around the green space to create an “arts hub,” City Planning and Development Director Chad Pelishek said after the meeting.

City officials are hoping to use the green space for a concert series, to be hosted by the Kohler Arts Center, next summer.

The City of Sheboygan purchased the Boston Store building in September for $500,000. After mulling over possible options for redevelopment, city officials ultimately decided upon demolition due to the store’s size, lack of maintenance to the existing property and the high cost of redevelopment, said Pelishek.

The bid resolution will now go before the Common Council for approval at the Monday, Nov. 17, meeting.

— Reach Kali Thiel at 920-453-5134