Market will still be open Saturday morning
The east end of the iconic Farmers Market structure in downtown Parkville was damaged when it was struck by a box truck Thursday morning, Parkville police say.
Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman told The Landmark the incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m.
“Some witnesses gave a description of the truck and we reviewed video (from a nearby rail cam),” Chrisman said.
The video is from a camera located at the railroad crossing in downtown Parkville, police said.
The investigation led police to a company in North Kansas City. Chrisman said it is a company that performs pickup of thrift store items.
The video shows the truck turning into the Farmers Market area and trying to maneuver around the structure. The video, which police shared with The Landmark, appears to show the truck is in reverse at the time it makes contact with the market building.
The video appears to show the truck stopping briefly after the crash but then it leaves the scene. It’s not clear why the truck turned into the area.
“It looks like he got lost, tried to turn around and didn’t successfully make the turn,” said Cpt. Jon Jordan of the Parkville Police Department.
The two east end sections of the structure will need to be removed, city officials say. Loose items from the crash are being removed and the Farmers Market, located in the parking lot near English Landing Park, will be ready for its opening weekend of the season on Saturday, April 29, without use of the sections of the building that were damaged, says Alexa Barton, city administrator for Parkville.
A structural engineer has performed an inspection and gave the go-ahead for usage of the remainder of the structure, Barton said.
An environmental firm was called to the scene to perform testing. City officials said asbestos is a component of the corrugated roof panels and “not easily made free or hazardous. Barton said the company removed the panels appropriately.
The truck for the thrift store company is based out of North Kansas City, police said. The company is fully cooperating with police and Barton said the company has indicated it will turn the damage into its insurance company.
The company performs pick up services for the City Union Mission, police said.
Chrisman said the driver is to meet with Parkville police on Friday.
