RED LODGE — Demolition began Tuesday morning in Red Lodge on the Rocky Fork Inn, the flood-damaged building that has sat untouched for more than three years.
The building, which is located on Broadway Avenue, was left destroyed in June of 2022 and had turned into a reminder of the devastation for the community.
Watch this video to see the building being destroyed:
"In Red Lodge, we never expected that 100-year flood by any means," said Red Lodge resident Kelly Fugere Tuesday morning. "This was pretty spooky."
Fugere's wife, Marilyn Fugere, was born and raised in Red Lodge. She said it's a day she'll never forget.
"It was scary to see," Marilyn said. "To see the water running down Main Street. We were worried about the businesses downtown."
Now, more than three years later, most of the rubble in town has been removed, aside from the Rocky Fork Inn.
"It has been an eyesore," Kelly said. "After this flood, this is probably the only building and a few others down here that probably needs to be refurnished and taken down. It's definitely time."
On Tuesday, the Fugeres were among the many in the community excited by the destruction of the former bed and breakfast.
"I'm glad it is," Marilyn said. "It'd be sad for kids to be hurt in there."
While many residents were concerned and sometimes frustrated by how long it has taken for the building to be removed, Jason Seyler with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality explained that the process comes with lengthy steps.
"Each of those steps does take time," Seyler said Tuesday morning. "It is a process, but in the end, we get to here and now we're tearing down a building."
Seyler explained that the process began with the city of Red Lodge obtaining a grant from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was used to purchase the building from the previous owners.
After that was done, Seyler's department within the DEQ worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to obtain more federal funding for the project. Seyler said that took some extra time because his department needed to prove that the building's hazardous materials wouldn't harm air quality in the community.
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"We wanted to make sure that the building didn't contain any dangerous pieces," Seyler said.
On Tuesday, all of that work came to fruition, as the building came tumbling down. Officials expect to remove all debris in about a week.
"It's finally happening, and we're all glad to see it go," Kelly said.
Red Lodge Mayor Dave Westwood told MTN that the plan is for the space to be turned into a park. Seyler confirmed that a park would be allowed per the grant agreement with the EPA.
"One of the grant requirements is that this property is never redeveloped again," Seyler said. "So it is turned into recreational."
Westwood and Seyler said that local officials will seek community comment on desiging the new use of the vacant space.
"It'd be great if they put something that everyone in Red Lodge would be proud of," Kelly said.
That's why Tuesday was a big day for the entire town, as it represents the final step of putting the disastrous floods behind them.
"Hopefully it helps ease some of that remorse from the flood," Seyler said. "Ideally, it kind of transitions into something that's sort of healing for the community."
