Carmel biz balks at granary demolition

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - The owner of a doggy day care in Carmel is afraid the demolition of an old grain bin will put her out of business. She wants the city to hold back on the wrecking ball, calling it a fight for business survival.

The business is Club Canine. It's located just behind the old grain elevator that sits along the Monon Trail south of Main Street in Carmel.

"I've heard that it's a hundred years old," said Kera Slowitsky, owner of Club Canine.

The doggy day care and boarding site has been in its building on Third Avenue Southwest for five and a half years. It sits a few hundred feet from the soon-to-be-demolished Carmel grain elevator. Tuesday afternoon, Slowitsky was told the grain bin will be torn down in two or three days.

"To have a demolition ball and cranes and all that equipment, the dogs will be so stressed out that I don't know that we'll be able to have dogs here," she said.

No dogs, no business.

"I can't move an entire business in two or three days. With six months notice, I could get the bank loans and find a facility," she said.

The future of the grain bin has been a hot topic in Carmel for months. Some call it an eyesore because it sits along the Monon Trail. Others want to save it for its historical value. A spokeswoman for the city said it's coming down now because it's not safe.

Nancy Heck said Carmel understands Club Canine's concerns. And the demolition will be done, she said, in a way that will have the least impact on the business. Heck said the demolition company has extensive experience taking down buildings without causing problems for nearby businesses.

Slowitsky is still worried.

"It's been there all these years, and they are not doing anything with that space. They're just taking it down to take it down,” she said. “That's fine. There's no reason they can't wait,"

She said she knows the area is going to be redeveloped at some point and that sooner or later she'll have to move. All she wanted, she said, was fair warning. In this case, she says she didn't get it.