Dave Baker pulling some of the old wood away from the front of the building.

Photo and article by Mary Alice Murphy

Dave Baker, founder and director of BikeWorks, has taken on a challenge. "I like challenges," he said.

He purchased the 1/3 acre-property in November 2016.

So far, his efforts have gone to cleaning up the interior. "When they left in January 2010, it was like a time capsule. A pile of Glenwood Gazettes had been delivered but few had been taken. It was vacant for almost seven years. I had to deal with the composted piles of elm leaves on the roof, the inches of petrified grease on the kitchen floor and other issues. Some of the building project is encouraging; some not so much."

Baker said the structure is sound, but the flat roof has some issues. Buckets and plastic containers on the floor showed where some of the leaks were concentrated. Sometimes light was visible coming through the junctures between roof and wall.

He pointed out the original adobe house that remains on the site. It has been added onto several times, by the look of the bricks and construction techniques.

The first addition on the north side of the adobe portion was originally a Dairy Queen.

An addition that was not a direct part of the former restaurant was the residence of the Chinese family. Baker said he wants to open up that space and use it for storage.

"I plan to bring the whole structure up to code within three years," Baker said. "I'm working on getting down to where the electrical and plumbing can be worked on.

"It's a good sized lot, and right on Silva Creek," he continued. "It has great potential. I want it to be part of the greenway trails."

He is starting the peel off the "pecky cedar," as he calls it, but will not complete it until he knows what he will replace it with.

Baker hopes to have a work party do some of the major demolition.

"I'm excited about it," he said. "It's a lot of work and I've had plenty of people ask me how they can help. I think community help will be critical."

He said is it a personal investment for him. "Ultimately, I want to pare down BikeWorks to just what we really need. Binary Circuits plans to be part of the building. I want it to be a maker's space and use it also for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education."