Construction – Page 5 – Sequim Daily Photo

Next step: rubble

Last May a spectacular fire destroyed the Baja Cantina and Sequim Consignment Store on Washington Street, leaving a scorched and collapsed shell. The Sequim Consignment Store has since relocated further east on Washington Street. I don’t know whether the Baja Cantina will reopen.

The building owner has been working with her insurance company to evaluate the loss and determine next steps for the charred remains. Heavy equipment descended on the site recently and all that was left the other day was a heap of debris.

The “everything store” expands

Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles is a local institution. Before we moved here DH informed me with an air of authority, “If Swain’s doesn’t have it you probably don’t need it.” The point can be argued. But for the real goods you need from day to day Swain’s has it. Tools, hunting and fishing gear, hardware, kitchenware, work, casual and outdoor clothing, shoes and boots. It’s all there. Mind you, Swain’s isn’t fancy. But when you need something and want to stay local I’m happy to leave fancy merchandising to the big city stores.

A few months back the appliance store that shared the building with Swain’s closed, giving Swain’s an opportunity to expand. The wall’s down now and the store’s being rearranged. Shifting that much stuff seems like a herculean job. But another positive thing about Swain’s is that the staff is great and most of them have been there a long time and they’re in it for the long haul.

Here’s a peek into the new area. I’m sure everyone will be happy when the dust settles.

Country bus stop

Waiting for the bus? Who needs a plastic-sided enclosure covered with advertisements and graffiti? Or one of those grimy benches covered with who knows what?

Hollow out a nearby tree and you’re good to go.

Taking shape

The last time I showed you the new Sequim City Hall, in August, there really wasn’t much to show. Within days of that post the structural framework was erected, quickly defining the new building. The completed facility will be 34,000 square feet and will include both city administrative offices and the police station.

City Hall update

So far there’s not much drama as the new Sequim City Hall begins to take shape. But compared to my first post last June, here, you can see progress. I was lucky to find an open gate that allowed me to avoid those nasty “through the cyclone fence” construction shots.

The foundation’s been poured and the blue coloring you see is insulation. The garden of upright piping, seen better in the top shot, is stubbing for plumbing and electrical.

The new City Hall

They had the formal ground breaking for Sequim’s new City Hall last week. You know the event: Five or six people lined up wearing hard hats and wielding shovels, throwing a little dirt around. The real work has already begun; in April I posted the demolition of the old building, here. And before the shovel ceremony there were surveyors and others getting the work underway.

These days the progress is subtle; behind a cyclone fence it’s even more masked. There are forms being built for foundations here. Once the foundation is poured and set things begin to rise above ground. From time to time I’ll drop by the site to show you how things are going.

Bye, bye, City Hall

Slightly over two years ago I posted a picture of Sequim City Hall here. On Monday, this is what it looked like as it was being torn down. Other buildings, further down the street, are also being razed as part of the same project.

By the middle of next year Sequim will have a new $15 million City Hall that will house administrative offices and the police department. The old City Hall, built in 1973, was too small to accommodate both the police and functions of a growing city. The new building’s plaza will become the home of the Sequim Farmers Market.