Construction mishap leads to temporary closure of convention and visitor's bureau

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ The Tuscarawas County Convention & Visitors Bureau has been closed for the past several days after workers tearing down a building next door accidentally damaged a portion of the east wall of the visitor's bureau.

The worst damage is confined to a conference room in the middle of the building. A mural in that room was heavily damaged and won't likely be able to be saved.

"There was no plumbing damage, there was no electrical damage," said Dee Grossman, the bureau's executive director. The building is at 124 E. High Ave. in downtown New Philadelphia. "We had to shut off the power to that room to be on the safe side. We just want to stabilize that wall until we can figure out what we need to do next.

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"Other than the inconvenience of not being open currently, nobody was injured, thankfully. It's an inconvenience, but we'll work through it."

How it happened

The workers were tearing down the back portion of the building that once housed Joe's Shoe Repair. Debris fell and hit the wall of the visitor's bureau on the morning of June 20 or June 21. Grossman said the workers didn't realize what had happened until they began to clear away the debris. The visitor's bureau was evacuated June 21.

The bureau is located in a structure that was the site of a broom manufacturer in the late 1890s. In the 1970s the building housed La Fountaines, a discount variety store and was in operation until the mid 2000s. After purchasing the vacant building in 2003, the CVB began to update and modernize the facility.

While the rest of the building is closed, the visitor's kiosk, which houses brochures on area attractions and events, remains open.

Grossman said she expects the entire building will reopen later this week.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.