Ernie's Garage in Manson razed to make way for community green space
- Nic Scott
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
If not a white Christmas, residents of Manson will soon be gifted new green space and an accompanying view of Lake Chelan along Wapato Way.
Volunteers with the Lake Chelan Community Services Council and the Manson Village Green group came together Tuesday to raze the former Ernie’s Garage building at 91 Wapato Way in Manson.
"It wasn't salvageable, or even part of it, that we could keep for nostalgic reasons," said Lake Chelan Community Services Council member Terrie Carleton, looking on as the iconic structure was turned to rubble.
The Village Green group, a loose association of volunteers who have envisioned this park since 1987, helped raise the necessary funds to purchase the property in March.
"It's pretty exciting," said Carleton as she witnessed the transformation of the property begin.. "This is a part of the history of Manson."
Carleton shared that Tom Allen of Allen Construction offered to use an excavator to take off the roof and tear down the walls. The ensuing task is to clear the site of all the debris.
Once the nearly one-half-acre piece of property, purchased in March through donations, is completely cleared, it will be developed as a long envisioned community green-space.
Citizens have offered suggestions that led to a conceptual drawing of the area..
"We all have this great vision and we have businesses that are across the street that are super excited about this becoming a park area," Carleton said. "As you get toward the end of town, just past the post office, looking to your left, you'll be able to see the marina and the lake. It's going to be incredible."
"Grass, trees, picnic tables, maybe planters," is what Carleton said may eventually come of the location. "We have some trees that we've already planted in the area that we know is going to be green space. It's also adding a little bit of parking."
It’s a volunteer community project and through the non profit Community Services Council, which owns the land, donations are being accepted by mail at P.O. Box 691 in Manson, WA 98831.
"A project like this it's for the community and we just want to make sure that the community feels part of it," added Carleton.
Follow the work of the Lake Chelan Community Services Council on Facebook.
View photos of the work that was accomplished Tuesday to clear the site on the KOZI Facebook page.