COLONY — Residents and city officials here want to preserve history, one brick at a time.
Their goal is to replace a pair of aging downtown buildings owned by the city — one used as a bank dating back to 1884 — with a small park for the townsfolk to enjoy.
But they will need help, financially and with manual labor.
Marla Bain, a member of the Colony City Council, explained the situation:
The two vacant buildings, situated between Colony Foods and the post office, were condemned by the city more than 18 months ago.
However, engineers quickly realized that one of the buildings is connected to the Colony Foods building. Using a bulldozer or other heavy industrial equipment to handle the demolition would also mean tearing down Colony Foods.
“That would be like a train wreck,” Bain said, the absolute last thing the city wanted to see happen. “It seems like when one business closes, others are certain to follow.”
So the councilmen developed a plan — a “workaround” — that involves tearing down the old buildings literally piece by piece.
The work will involve building a protection wall to shield pedestrians while laborers with carpentry skills disassemble the brick walls. The process takes time, labor and especially money, Bain said.
“It’s a big project for a little town,” Council member Melissa Hobbs added.
Meanwhile, Jeanne Ray, who owns Colony Foods, has had work crews on hand to reinforce her west wall to ensure her building is not harmed as the others come down.
The city has set up two committees to oversee demolition, headed by Councilman Steve Wallace, and fundraising, coordinated by Bain.
After the buildings are gone, the city plans to use some of the bricks to create an ornate walkway as a centerpiece of the park. The city plans to raise funds by selling the bricks.
Bricks will be engraved with a name or short message for a minimum $30 donation to the project, Bain said.
Other bricks, not suitable for engraving, will be sold for $10; those bricks may go home with purchasers.
The park will also include picnic tables and a monument using the “Bank 1884” sign that sits atop the wall of the old bank.
