Demolition of former Ray’s Food Place underway

Demolition of the former Ray’s Food Place in southwest Bend is underway after heavy snow collapsed the roof in January.

Crews were working to haul away the collapsed roof Wednesday, but people can still expect to see some of Ray’s in the future.

“We’re keeping all the exterior walls. They’re all structurally sound, and everything is OK with those,” said Clinton Simmons, superintendent at Compass Commercial.

Three walls will remain, and it could stay like that for awhile.

“It’s going to be pretty much down to the ground,” Simmons said, “and they’re going to put temporary bracing up, which they’re not calling it temporary — they’re calling it permanent because of (the length of time it will be there), about two years is their guesstimate.”

The market was built in 2000 and has been sitting vacant since it closed in 2013, so no one was hurt in the accident.

The property management company that owns the building does not have plans for it yet, other than making it safe and shoring it up.

In addition to the walls, one other thing will be saved. Many of the solar panels on the roof can be salvaged.