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Double Downtown Demolition |
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by Sue Orsen The Victoria Gazette A resplendent array of radiant waves emanated from the vacant building just prior to demolition on a bright Thursday morning, July 9th, 2015. It was an amazing phenomenon that continued, to a lesser and lesser degree, for about an hour, until the entire curved roof was off the Old Fire Hall/City Office Building. Then the ethereal observance dissipated into a sky of normal stratus clouds. A scientific reason might be related to early morning sunlight refracted off nearby Stieger Lake or off the hot curved roof. It may have been related to the spray of water from the tank that kept demolition dust at bay. A mystical reason might be related to the final departure of spirits and living memories that hung around until the very last moment. Then, whoosh! They escaped their confines. Some of them were 65 years old, the age of the curved roof building, since it was constructed in 1950. The day began with a group of city office staff, public works people, and councilmembers gathered inside at 7:30 a.m. for a final walkthrough of the old haunts. There were ceremonial whacks with a sledgehammer into the western wall of the peak-roofed Village Hall. Nobody was wailing. Today was a long time coming, especially for those who worked within the crowded City Offices, replete with occasional petroleum fumes. Poor acoustics in the adjacent Council Chambers were also a problem. The buildings had served the community well, but it was time to move on. City Offices had already moved on six months ago, into the new Victoria City Hall on Stieger Lake Lane. Earlier this spring, the Victoria City Council approved an expenditure of $30,685 to Wickenhauser Excavating and Demolition out of Cologne for this double downtown demolition. The able man at the yellow CAT excavator was Chuck Buckentine. He handled the giant claws of the machine like salad tongs and was able to pick up copper tubing like carrot sticks and cement blocks like chunks of cheddar. When the Wickenhauser 18-wheeler arrived on scene to pick up its first load of debris for the dump, another company employee, Jason Hansen, climbed its ladder to the top of the box and perched on the edge like a different kind of cat, with eyes to assist the one with claws. Incorporated in 1915, the City of Victoria is near the dawning of a new century. This double downtown demolition is significant as it speaks, like nothing else, of Victoria's past, present, and future.
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August 2015 |
