in the damaged office.
(Photos © Jonathan Maus)
At around 3:30 on Saturday afternoon, a Toyota FourRunner backed into the wall of the Community Cycling Center (CCC) on NE 17 Avenue (at Alberta).
Several employees were working at the time (getting ready for the Holiday Bike Drive this morning), but thankfully, none of them were in the office at the time of impact and no one was hurt.
Here are more photos of the damage:
The driver of the truck (he lives in the building and he was insured) was trying to park when he somehow managed to jump the sidewalk and smash into the wall. The truck slammed into the building’s gas line (the building was evacuated and the main line was shut off immediately) and now the building is without heat.
Only a long crack and a shattered gas meter is visible from the exterior, but inside it’s a different story. The impact splintered studs in the wall, exposing drywall and insulation and sending office furniture tumbling.
Employee Benjamin Jaspers was sitting at his desk, which was near the point of impact (see photo), just minutes before it happened. He told me they have yet to fully assess the damage, but he suspects that several pieces of recently purchased computer equipment may have been destroyed.
At the Holiday Bike Drive event today, executive director Susan Remmers said the CCC staff must move immediately until a full structural analysis can be completed.
From the look of the wall, I would suspect a very large portion of it — if not the entire thing — will have to be replaced. If the wall goes, perhaps the saddest part of the story will be the loss of a beautiful mural that was just completed last year.
This is the second unfortunate blow to the CCC this year; back in February they were the victims of a major burglary.
Remmers, along with development and communications director Alison Hill Graves, said they have been so focused on the Holiday Bike Drive that they have yet to really even think about what lies ahead.
One thing is certain, the CCC needs our support (donate here). If you have leads on office space (or carpentry), get in touch with Alison Hill Graves at (503) 288-8864 or email alison(at)communitycyclingcenter(dot)org.