Driving by the old Kenai Bowling Alley, drivers will notice construction vehicles and a fence surrounding the site. The old bowling alley, which has sat vacant for years, has been the subject of discussion including bringing the building up to code and reopening it. According to memorandum documents, an auction was held late last year for the bowling alley, which is located on the Kenai Spur Highway between the Holiday Gas Station and the Three Bears Grocery, but there were no bids.
Plans, at this point, for the site following the demolition are unknown, but City Manager Paul Ostrander told KSRM:
“The city got title to the bowling alley; I believe through foreclosure. That was prior to my time. The city tried to sell the property for a number of years and in 2017, we were successful in selling it to a group that wanted to reopen it as a bowling alley. They were ultimately unsuccessful in that effort and the bank, then, got ownership of the bowling alley. The bank did try to auction the bowling alley off, I believe, late last year. They didn’t get any bidders. My understanding is at that point, there were some interested buyers who, then, negotiated directly with the bank. That transaction has now been finalized.”
Ostrander adds:
“The simple ownership of the bowling alley now resides with this new entity. They are razing the building. They do have plans to construct something in its place.”
The City Manager could not specify as to what the plans for the site are at this point.
