CLICK TO HEAR JACK HALL’S INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG WOERPEL, ESCANABA DDA DIRECTOR
More than a week after a fire devastated the 1000 block of Escanaba’s Ludington Street, the director of the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority is reflecting on the loss that the city has endured. And he himself has endured a severe loss as well.
The most devastating loss was the loss of a man who died in that blaze. Escanaba Public Safety still has not identified him, nor have investigators released any further details to the public on the cause of that fire, which broke out at 2 am on January 25.
Two businesses were completely destroyed: Schwalbach Kitchens and Treasures & Trinkets. But nearby businesses were also ruined, despite the best efforts of several fire departments to save them.
“There’s smoke clean-up at Beaten Path, but he’s lost all of his product,” Escanaba DDA Director Craig Woerpel told RRN News. “Over on the other side, at the East Ludington Art Gallery, smoke damage devastated not only the product, but the building itself. There’s also a crack in the wall, so we have had flooding, two feet of water, in the basement of that building. That knocked out the boiler system. So, there’s no heat and there’s no water. The smoke smell is still heavy, even a week after the fire.”
Woerpel says they need to move to a new facility, but the artists have all lost their works. There will be a fundraiser for them on Friday at the Bonifas Art Center.
“There’s also others needing help,” Woerpel said. “Tenants on either side of the damaged buildings also need some help. They’re talking about needing new furniture, so how can we help them out? Others need help, and it’s important that we not forget them.”
Woerpel owns the building at 1007 Ludington Street, so he’s also been personally effected.
“It is very possible that we could lose the building,” Woerpel said. “We’re trying hard not to, but that would be three buildings lost. If the building can be repaired, then how much would it cost, and would it meet our insurance quota for that?”
And he says a lot of personal items and memories were also destroyed in his building.
“It is tough,” Woerpel said, emotionally. “I had a business in that building for a quite a few years. I’m finding stuff that was stored down there since high school, and all of it has been under water. Electronic equipment from when they had the video company, camera equipment, darkroom, negatives. Stuff that I worked on with various companies around the area. Magazines that we produced. That’s all in the garbage bin right now.”
We will continue to follow the recovery effort in downtown Escanaba on our radio stations, this web site, and on our social media platforms.
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