Is Dinosaur Park Apatosaurs an endangered species?

From Raid City Journal: Is Dinosaur Park Apatosaurs an endangered species?
Construction crews are racing to finish repairs to the fire-damaged Dinosaur Park concession stand in time for the start of the summer tourism season in May.

But the park’s main attraction – the long-necked concrete Apatosaurus – may not be so lucky. City officials said this week they are still unsure how to proceed with repairs to the Rapid City icon.

“Obviously, we’d like to have it done before June, but we haven’t quite got a battle plan together,” city parks manager Lon VanDeusen said. “We want to get it fixed as soon as possible, but we want to get it fixed right, too.”

The 1930s-era statue has been fenced off since last fall when a big chunk of the dinosaur’s snout fell off while city crews were doing routine maintenance. The damage was caused by water that got into the concrete and rusted out the metal cage supporting the statue’s nose.

VanDeusen said the city has received a couple of proposals so far for repairs. But before making a decision, they are awaiting a few more to get a better idea of what can be done and how much it will cost.

“It’s a unique deal. It’s not like replacing a section of sidewalk,” VanDeusen said. “It’s going to require some engineering expertise as well as some artistic work.”

The right time to do the repairs is also an issue. Anything involving heavy equipment or aerial work would likely require parts of the park to be fenced off as a construction site, something that would be less than ideal during the busy summer season, VanDeusen said.

Progress is being made, though, on repairing the park’s concession stand, which was damaged in a fire in January.

The fire, which started outside the store, destroyed the wood deck at the rear of the building and damaged parts of the roof and back wall.

On Thursday, crews were working on the new concrete patio that will replace the deck off the back of the building.

The damage to the interior of the building already has been cleaned up, and the parts of the roof that were burned have been repaired.

The entire exterior of the building has also been repainted a deep maroon color and new doors and windows installed.

City landscape designer Alex DeSmidt is overseeing the project and said they are on track to get store operators Chuck and Vicki McLain back into the building in May. The store is typically open May 1 to Sept. 30.

Construction began March 7 and is ahead of schedule due to the warm weather, he said.

“It’s coming along pretty well,” DeSmidt said. “It needed a makeover.”

The cost of the project is $115,665, DeSmidt said, which includes work that is not directly related to the fire damage.

At the time of the fire, the Parks & Recreation Department was preparing to do about $89,000 in improvements to the building, including Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades and new lighting, flooring, roofing and ceiling.

DeSmidt said they were able to work some of those improvements into the repair project, starting with making the building more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The wall at the entrance to the restrooms was moved back about 4 inches to provide better clearance for wheelchairs, and crews will build a new ramp to the north of the building that meets ADA requirements.

Inside, the planned new carpet, tile, ceiling and lighting will also be installed – now necessary because of the fire damage.

VanDeusen said the city doesn’t know how much of the project will be covered by the city’s insurance policy. A $50,000 deductible was paid out of the city’s Capital Improvement Program contingency fund.

“We’re not sure what the official damage assessment is going to be,” VanDeusen said.