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When asked about the upcoming renovations to Lancaster's historic Central Market, Michael Ervin looked slightly pained.
The market master knows he's in for months of disruption and dust. "Buy a sandwich for lunch," he jokes, "and you might have to blow it off before you eat it."
At the same time, he's been talking to the general contractor on the $4.7 million project, and he's been encouraged. "They know this is a marquee project," Ervin said.
And when it's all done, one of America's "great public spaces" might be even greater.
The long-awaited renovation to Central Market is scheduled to begin the Monday after Easter, but "pre-work" begins in earnest this week. Shoppers may see construction trailers that have been hauled into place outside the historic brick structure; planters, benches and trash receptacles will be removed and some parking eliminated along Market Street.
Inside, temporary stands will be under construction, partitions erected. And the five standholders whose current stands are scheduled to be dismantled and rebuilt by April 23 will prepare to move to temporary stands at the north end of the building.
For months, the project has been debated and delayed as the city, which owns the market house, rebid the project. Some standholders fretted the setback could force them to close during the crucial holiday season.
Charlotte Katzenmoyer, the city's director of public works, said that won't happen. The target completion date is the week before Thanksgiving. And both the city and the Central Market Trust, the nonprofit group that operates the market on behalf of the city, are trying to ease standholder anxieties. Vacant spaces were preserved rather than leased out so stands could be temporarily relocated; the Trust offered to "suspend" standholder leases for a full year for those who wished to close for the duration.
And those who opt to remain open won't have to pay rent during the three-week relocation period. "For some standholders, budgets are pretty tight," said Valerie Moul, Trust chair. "It seemed like a reasonable thing to do."
Varied fundingAlready, the city has spent about $400,000 replacing the market's boiler. Katzenmoyer said the city will spend around $1 million total for the renovations; state and county funding will also help pay for the project, as will the Trust's capital campaign, which raised $7 million last year. Others are helping out where they can. Fig, a magazine that focuses on downtown, is donating proceeds from the sale of recycled market bags to the project, and will be handing out plastic construction hats to kids 10 and under beginning this week.
The goal, Fig's Tracy Cutler said, is to emphasize that Central Market will be "open, alive, seasonal and welcoming during the construction."
Standholders who will relocate during the first phase of discussion seemed resigned last week.
"It's coming," said Doris Keifer of Keifer Meats. It will be an inconvenience, she said.
"But it's only supposed to last three weeks."
Keifer Meats, Carr's, Dutch Country Deli, Rafiki's Deli, Stoltzfus Baked Goods and The Goodie Shop will be affected during the first stage of the work, which will run through April 23. Rafiki's Deli has opted to close for the remainder of the year, until all the renovation work is completed; the other five stands will move to the northern end of market, where they will set up in smaller, somewhat cramped stands where some will share refrigeration units with their neighbors.
"We're going to get to know each other real well," Doris Keifer said.
"It will be a disruption, but I think most people realize it's for the best," Tim Carr, of Carr's, said.
The stately market house, once one of four that did a brisk business in Lancaster, was laid out in the original town plan for Lancaster by Andrew Hamilton in 1730. It functioned as an open-air market until the first market house was constructed in 1757. The current building was completed in 1889, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
This is the first time renovations have been done in four decades. Work will include replacement of the building's electrical and plumbing systems and rehabilitation of masonry and wood windows.
Initially expected to cost $7 million, it appears the project will now cost significantly less than expected. Katzenmoyer said there had been talk about expanding the project — for example installing a new slate roof. "But that was more than we could handle," she said.
Once they overcome the temporary disruption, Moul, the Trust chair, said standholders are likely to be pleased with the changes. "They'll have all new electric with inline hot-water heaters," she said. "Hopefully they'll move back to a stand that has more amenities than when they left."
A sprinkler system will be installed, Moul said; several stands "may experience some work after the three-week period is over," said Moul, as "contractors can only do the really heavy work on off-market days.
"But in the end, market will be a much more functional environment" for standholders, Moul said.
The Trust and the city are advising standholders to post signs telling customers about the temporary move, and to begin "removing excess inventory or items you don't need on a daily basis," according to a checklist distributed to standholders. They are to meet with the contractor and take photos of their existing stands.
Standholders should be able to move back into their normal spaces by 5 p.m. on the final day of the three-week construction period.
Katzenmoyer said some entrances to market will be closed while work is being done; parking will be prohibited along Market Street between the market house and the Hager Building for the duration of the project.
Pedestrians may be affected as electrical and underground utility work is done, "but those will be temporary, one-day kind of closures," Katzenmoyer said. The contractor is not allowed to close sidewalks on market days, she said.
Also, once the weather warms, standholders will have the option of setting up tents on Penn Square if they'd rather do business outside.
"For some standholders, this is their only source of income," said Moul. "We wanted to accommodate them wherever we could."
General contractor for the project is Warfel Construction, which has done work on several other historic buildings around Lancaster, including the Fulton Opera House.
The market project had to be rebid after city officials said the initial successful bidder, Perrotto Builders, of Reading, did not meet all the necessary qualifications.
Gil Smart is associate editor of the Sunday News. E-mail him at gsmart@lnpnews.com, or phone 291-8817.
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