Mackley demolition makes room for Broadway
By JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer, jschramm@minotdailynews.com
POSTED: May 10, 2008
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Barley Pop owner helps bring building downWhen the old Barley Pop building came down May 5, owner Daryl Reile was at the controls of the wrecker, taking the first swing.
“They hired me for one hour and I got to take the first two cracks out of it with the big backhoe,” Reile said. “Was that a blast. It’s amazing how much power one of those big backhoes has. It’s like a hot knife going through butter.”
Reile said he was happy to help bring the building down after the contractor, Strata Corp., offered him the opportunity and then instructed him in operating the equipment. He admits feeling a twinge in seeing the building go, but making those first blows also felt good after a hectic 1-1/2 weeks of moving everything out.
“It relieved a lot of stress,” he said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Reile said he hopes to be open in the new Barley Pop location on North Broadway by Wednesday or Thursday.
Federal rules that came with funding for the street project prevented the North Dakota Department of Transportation from touching the Mackley’s historic facade. Because the Mackley, located at 425 N. Broadway, is so close to the road, engineers had to design the street and sidewalk through that area to be a bit narrower than the rest of Broadway.
However, officials learned a few weeks ago that the building’s owner planned to tear it down. Once they saw the wrecking equipment take the first swipe Thursday, they went to work on revising the design.
Don Mohagen, project engineer with the transportation department, said the four-foot sidewalks planned for both sides of North Broadway at that location now will be eight feet wide. Although the street changes will be minor enough that most motorists would hardly notice, the roadway will be straighter and center lanes will each be about a foot wider. The new lanes will be 12 feet wide, the same as the rest of the project.
The Mackley’s owner, Gaylin Schmidt of Minot, was unavailable Friday for comment. Schmidt hired Strata Corp., the prime contractor on the Broadway
project, to perform the demolition. The demolition is expected to take a few more days to complete.
The restrictions on demolition of historic buildings that apply to federally funded construction projects don’t apply to building owners, said Brekka Kramer of Odney Advertising, public relations coordinator for the transportation department.
Minot’s preservation community is not opposed to the building’s removal, said Rep. Kari Conrad, D-Minot. The building appears to have no strong significance or connection to the community, she said.
First Lutheran Church, at Fifth Avenue and Broadway, also is historic. The state designed the project to avoid affecting that property.
Mohagen said the time frame and cost of the Broadway project won’t change significantly with the new street design. The project will be acquiring more right-of-way on the west side.
As previously planned, a section of North Broadway will temporarily close to through traffic late next week. Extensive underground work will take place east of Fifth Avenue that will extend across Broadway.
A main detour will be in place extending around the west side of North Broadway. A separate business detour will run along the east side.
Additional details about the the closure, along with detour maps, will be available on the project Web site, (www.minotbroadway.com).
