Miles City rebuilds after fire

Burning a hole in Miles City's downtown history, a massive fire destroyed most of the buildings on the northside of the 700 block of Main Street one year ago. Now a future is being built from the ashes. Remodeling work on the former Burlap & Lace to make a new bar led to the accidental fire on the morning of March 23, 2009. Local firefighters, and those of nearby communities, fought for long hours over several days in the cold. The fire destroyed the locations that housed Good Things gift shop, Imagine That salon, Copper Thimble fabric store, Family Floral, the Cellar Casino, Shaun Lo c k i e ' s Farmer's Insurance and the historic Creme Shop. A coin shop and a card shop were also in the Cellar Casino building. They had closed but still had inventory in the building. Miles City Fire Chief Derrick Rodgers said that every time there is a fire of that size, firefighters gain experience and they look for new ways of doing the job in the future. One of the problems with the old buildings is the concealed spaces where a fire can get in, and it is difficult to find. In the past year the fire department has stepped up inspections of the older buildings in town, especially downtown, and updated their "fire pre-plans" where they note areas that could be a problem in the event of a fire, Rodgers explained. After the fire, Good Things closed, the bar never got going, and the Copper Thimble became a catalog store only at another site. The other businesses have gotten back on their feet, and new ones have begun. On Tuesday morning, Main Street Grind opened its doors for business on the block ravaged by fire, holding a ribbon- cutting ceremony. Rick Flotkoetter, one of the owners of the bakery, coffee and sandwich shop, told the crowd the business used local contractors as much as possible, and they worked through the winter to have the building ready in time. A big reason he started the business is because he wanted downtown Miles City to remain viable, he said. "And this is just the beginning," he said, noting that plans to rebuild the Cellar Casino are finalized, and interest is being shown in the remaining lot (formerly the location of Shore's and Good Things), he said. Main Street Grind was designed to blend in with the historic look of the downtown area. Representatives of Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester attended the ribbon cutting with letters from the senators. "Downtown Miles City has made great strides in just one year," Baucus wrote in his letter for the event. "So on this anniversary, I'd like to join the men and women of Miles City in commemorating this important day, as you continue to rebuild your community with great hope and expectation for the future." He also praised the firefighters and rescue crews that responded to the fire. In the past Tester has commented on how quickly Miles City moved to turn a bad situation into a good one. Bozeman and Whitehall both lost historic buildings in fires (Bozeman's was caused by a natural gas explosion) a few weeks before Miles City's fire. Miles City's response in cleaning up and rebuilding on the site was swift and surpassed the other two communities' efforts. Denis Leidholt is going through drafts for the new Cellar Casino building, which will be next door to the Main Street Grind. The new two-story, red brick building is expected to be valued at $560,000, compared to the $170,000 value of the old building. Columns salvaged from the old building will be used in the new one. Leidholt also is concerned with keeping a historic look to the building. The City of Miles City is trying to encourage the building projects. The city granted a sixyear tax abatement to the Cellar Casino, and Main Street Grind will be requesting one. The abatement waives the city's portion of the property tax the first year, and each year it gradually increases until it reaches the full amount in the sixth year. The city hopes the abatement will help businesses to get started. The remaining empty lot where Shore's and Good Things stood has been sold by Kim and Doug McRae. Frank Stoltz has purchased the lot. No plans for the lot have been announced. Family Floral lost all its inventory and records in the fire but has begun again because of the customers' support.