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HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) — A pile of wood and metal has sat in architect Charles Carlson's garage for four years. But by fall, the stack of staves, boards and half-rings may finally be reassembled into the Douglas Root Beer Barrel.
"(The barrel) is all there, ready to be put back together again," said Vic Bella, volunteer with the "Friends of the Barrel" group that has campaigned for the building's return. "We hope to have it finished by the end of summer."
"The Barrel" was a concession stand that sold foot-long hot dogs and root beer in Douglas that operated between the early 1950s and mid-70s. Built to look like a 16-foot-high root beer barrel, the nearly septuagenarian structure was rotting when volunteers took it down in 2011.
Plans to resurrect the piece of post-World War II Americana stalled in the past few years, as volunteers fundraised for its refurbishment and officials debated over its future.
Now, after all these years, the barrel's return looks to be on tap, The Holland Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1XKlywM ) reported.
The barrel's new home will be at the corner of West Center and Ferry streets, where the City of Douglas plans to landscape a pocket park.
The "Save the Barrel" campaign has drawn in a variety of volunteers, both residents and tourists, who have put in both thousands of hours and thousands of dollars into the barrel's refurbishment.
When the barrel was disassembled, volunteers varnished each of the 120-plus weather-beaten wooden staves. Most recently, Saugatuck High School shop class students have joined the effort.
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While as much as possible of the original barrel was saved and restored, its base had rotted through when volunteers disassembled it. The resurrected barrel's plan also includes a new roof.
Both a steel base and internal structure need to be built— and Saugatuck High's shop students have obliged.
"It's exciting to see them apply the skills they are learning in class," teacher Vince Heyser said, "and actually working on a project they can see (in the community) and be proud of."
Carlson drew up plans and "Friends of the Barrel" provided steel. Beginning at the end of February, the students have taken it from there, walking the project from programming Carlson's designs into the shop's computers to fabricating the steel structures to welding.
The base is so big that the students divided it into four sections, weighing a combined 580 pounds. All in all, Heyser said, the project will require "more than 100 feet of welds."
Freshman Jacob Scott got his start welding at the beginning of the school year. He said he plans to work on the root beer barrel project even after school hours — both because he's "fallen in love" with welding and because of the project's value.
"My grandma can remember going (to the barrel) as a kid," Scott said. "So it's cool. We are building something that has been part of history and will continue to be a part of history."
The base and interior columns should be done by the end of April, Heyser said. After that, the root beer barrel will be ready for reconstruction.
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Because of licensing and staff costs, there are no plans to restore the barrel to a concession stand, Bella said. Instead, it will stand as a sort of monument to the area's past with signs and photographs.
The City of Douglas took ownership of the barrel in June 2015. At that time, city officials estimated its upkeep costs would come out to about $1,000 per year, according to the Local Observer. A concrete slab has already been laid for it at the corner of West Center and Ferry streets.
Bella said he thinks the barrel will be a "wonderful addition" to the city's efforts to connect the downtown to the lake, as the barrel's park lies on the road between the two.
It's gratifying to see the community's efforts to "Save the Barrel" finally be coming to fruition, Bella said.
"It started out as a rescue mission and the farther we got with the project the more local and summer residents responded to what we were doing," Bella said. "We were encouraged by the support. It took a lot of volunteer hours to get to the point where we are now."
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Information from: The Holland Sentinel, http://www.thehollandsentinel.com
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