NORWAY — A structural engineer has determined that the former L.F. Pike & Son store on Main Street, which has a buckled roof, poses no immediate threat to the public, Town Manager David Holt said.

The roof sagged under the weight of snow in late March. Police immediately cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

Al Hodson of Resurgence Engineering and Preservation Inc., in Portland was asked by Holt to assess the building.

“He feels the public is safe for the time being,”  Holt told selectmen at their meeting Thursday. He said Hodson advised that the building could be fixed with “money and determination.”

Owner Lesley Dean said she and her husband, Gary, have the determination to save the 122-year-old store but need money to do so.

“We’re trying to raise some funds,” Gary said.

Holt said the town will have to take some action for public safety reasons if the owners are unable to do something in the next few months.

“My intention is to try to work with Lesley so it doesn’t sit there all summer,” he said. “It needs to be dealt with.”

The century-old men’s clothing store, also known as “The Blue Store,” closed its doors in 2011 after serving the clothing needs of boys and men in Western Maine and beyond since the late 1880s. The store is part of the Norway Downtown National Historic District and one of the few buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1894 which wiped out a large section of the downtown business district.

Insurance on the building was canceled at the time it was closed.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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