LaCrosse group begins exterior work on store

Members of the LaCrosse community gathered last weekend to replace the roof on the town’s former and soon-to-be grocery store building as contractors proceeded with inside work.

“I think we’ve got a good crew, a good team assembled here to work on it,” said Tedd Nealey.

Nealey is a member of the citizen LaCrosse Community Pride group which formed to bring a grocery store back to town. That area of Whitman County has been without a store since Jerry Chastain closed the LaCrosse Market in 2009.

“It’s the little things. You can’t even buy an aspirin or a band-aid,” said Nealey. “Which is something you find out you need when working with a volunteer crew.”

A crew of seven workers assembled Friday morning to place a new corrugated steel roof on the west side of the building. By noon Saturday, the crew, directed by Pullman contractor and LaCrosse native Tom Mays, was finished.

“We’re pretty good for a bunch of old guys and volunteers,” said Nealey.

While the roofers were busy laying the 32-inch sections in place on the roof, crews from Carlton Builders were working inside to frame the windows.

“It’s really something how they’ve come together on this,” said Tim Mortimore of Carlton Builders. “We’re really proud to be a part of this.”

Carlton’s crews began working inside the 1915-vintage building last month, preparing for a heavy spring of remodeling the old grocery store into a new marketplace.

Crews replaced the wiring, refrigeration and ceiling in the building last fall.

Aim of Community Pride is to have the store up and running by the town’s annual Farmer’s Fest celebration in June.

“This is important for this whole area,” said Nealey. “You look at Washtucna, and they don’t have a store or a post office. Kahlotus, too, they don’t have a store. It’s become a sort of an island out here.”

Plans are to, along with space for the grocery store, put a library and office spaces inside the building to create a town center for businesses.

The building was purchased by Judy Harder and Alex McGregor in 2010 and deeded to the Community Pride organization.

Overall, the remodel project should cost the group around $300,000. Nealey said they are about $50,000 short of the goal and are still receiving donations.

Donations to the project can be made by contacting members of the group or by mailing information to P.O. Box 321 at LaCrosse.