DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Now, building from the ground up, construction crews for the new Restaurant Depot in Harrison Township were 90-percent complete with construction when the Memorial Day tornadoes broke out.
“It was utter chaos,” said job site superintendent Dewayne Nicol with Tri-C Construction.
Nicol went to check out the damage at his site shortly after the storm. Based out of St. Louis, Nicol was shocked at the damage.
“It took me almost an hour to get through the neighborhoods to get back around to here,” Nicol said.
The foundation was the only thing salvageable from the site.
“It was very frustrating and from what I understand this area hasn’t seen a storm like that since the 70’s,” Nicol said.
Across I-75, owners of the former Hotel Dayton a demolition permit application was recently approved. They now have one year to bring the building down. Signs warn trespassers the building is unstable. Damage beyond repair is visible at every angle.
While the future there is unknown, the Restaurant Depot is moving along despite staffing challenges.
“It’s the busy time of the year so trying to get them back out again has become problematic,” Nicol said.
Nicol said they should have a roof finished before the first snowfall. Construction is expected to be complete by the spring.
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