Demolition of Grand Marais city hall/liquor store expected to wrap up this week
Demolition of Grand Marais’s city hall/liquor store building has progressed quickly this week.
McGough Construction began demolition of the building on Monday, May 6, and by Wednesday, May 8, had completed 75 percent of the demolition. Construction crews are projected to finish by Friday, May 10.
During the May 8 city council meeting, John Haggenmiller, the McGough Construction site superintendent for the city hall/liquor store construction project, provided an update to the city council.
“It’s going pretty good,” Haggenmiller said. “We’re continuing to haul out material day by day.”
He said construction crews are working to remove as much debris from the site as possible and in a timely fashion.
On Monday, the high winds across much of Cook County and the Northland proved challenging for construction crews. Construction debris was witnessed flying around town and near the Lake Superior shore.
Haggenmiller said construction crews are continuing to patrol the fenced area and surrounding vicinity to clean up debris and reduce trash dispersal. “We will be continuing to do that throughout the whole project,” he said.
Following demolition, construction crews will clean and prep the site. If construction crews do not encounter any unexpected delays, Haggenmiller said McGough plans to begin concrete work the week of May 20. Construction of the geothermal well is also slated to start shortly.
Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson said Haggenmiller would begin contributing updates to the Grand Marais Weekly City Newsletter and periodic in-person updates during city council meetings as work continues.
“They are constantly paying attention to time and how to do things best because our season is so short,” Benson said. “So they are already shifting a few things around to make sure that they can get the shell of the new building up and in place to shift into inside work when the time comes.”
In the near future, the city plans to put a ‘Coming Soon’ banner on the construction fence to inform visitors and residents about what to expect.
Haggenmiller and McGough Construction worked with the city years ago to construct the Public Works building west of the WTIP station. Benson said, “We’re happy to have him back.”
Photos of the city hall/liquor store demolition are below:
Kalli Hawkins May 10, 2024
