In the coming months, the sounds of heavy work will return to the streets of Glenville, but this time they won’t be from demolition or debris removal.

Thursday, August 16, 2001

In the coming months, the sounds of heavy work will return to the streets of Glenville, but this time they won’t be from demolition or debris removal.

Months after a May 1 tornado stuck the town, at least two new buildings are going up this fall on Glenville’s Main Street, and more improvements are on the way, said Mayor Wes Webb.

&uot;It has been a long few months, but everything is progressing well,&uot; he said. &uot;I think the business community is getting back on its feet.&uot;

Webb is also the owner of a mobile communications business called Com-Tec. He has been planning a new location for his office since the tornado, and settled on a site across from Stan’s Corner Market on the east side of Main Street.

Webb said the 3,000 square-foot building should be completed by October. He was glad to be able to add a new building to the Main Street landscape.

&uot;Main Street looks better now than ever, and I think by next May it will really look nice,&uot; Webb said.

Larry and Bob Knutson are also building on Main Street near the Glenville Community Hall. The brothers, owners of Knutson Oil, also lost their offices to the tornado. But their new 4,800 square-foot building will be an improvement.

&uot;We’ve consolidated our office with our storage and combined them into one space,&uot; Larry Knutson said. &uot;If things go well, we should be in there by October sometime.&uot;

Knutson, who is also the fire chief, said other businesses are looking at improvements or new construction. The car wash could be rebuilt, he said, along with possible improvements to the American Legion. Stan’s Corner Market is considering a new location. Plans for a new senior-living complex are moving quickly, he said.

&uot;There are a lot of new developments in town and new ideas for relocating or renovating,&uot; Knutson said.

Webb said he’s particularly proud of the residents and business owners of Glenville for recovering so quickly, many without the help of FEMA assistance or SBA loans.

&uot;I don’t think too many people went the route of federal assistance,&uot; Webb said. &uot;It takes a long time, and there are a lot of hoops to jump through.&uot;

Many in the town feel rebuilding on their own has not been made any easier by the county, Knutson said. A recent request for a reduction of building permit fees was denied – a typical response to the needs of the town, he said.

&uot;We had a handful of people wiped out by that tornado. We didn’t ask for it,&uot; Knutson said. &uot;I know I wouldn’t be rebuilding if we hadn’t gotten hit. Now I’m looking at spending anything between $1,000 and $1,500 just for the right to start over.&uot;