The first step in making way for the new Grayhorse District roundhouse was the demolition of the old arbor. That is now complete.
The nearly 50-year-old former arbor is gone after a demolition crew removed the arbor piece-by-piece before using a bulldozer to knock down the support poles.
On Oct. 22, a Ponca City crew arrived in the village to take the arbor down. The process lasted about four days as the company, Scraps R Us, hired by the Grayhorse Five-Man Board used heavy machinery and flame torches to remove the tin structure built in 1964. The company unscrewed the roof panels, used blowtorches to cut the structure’s poles and hauled the debris away to be used for scrap metal.
Before the demolition, the Five-Man Board removed all the family benches. For Osages, like board member George Pease, the moment was the first time he’s ever seen the arbor without the benches. The family benches were temporarily relocated to the Hominy and Pawhuska district campsites for the demolition and new arbor construction.
Osage citizens Danette Daniels took photos of the arbor on Oct. 24 shortly after bulldozers knocked down the central support poles after the demolition crew used blowtorches to cut the poles first. She quipped it’s the first time in a long time she took photos within the arbor, adding she’s looking forward to the new roundhouse arbor.
The roundhouse arbor project is going forward and subject to the Nation’s bidding law to for its construction. The Third ON Congress passed a $990,000 appropriation bill to fund the arbor project during the Tzi-Zho Session. That money, on top of $510,000 of the initial arbor appropriation approved earlier this year, will be used for the project. The Five-Man Board is working with Tulsa-based architect firm, Kinslow, Keith & Todd Inc., on the arbor design.
The board hopes to have the new arbor up by next June’s In-Lon-Schka dances.
See more Osage News photos of the arbor demolition’s progress on the newspaper’s Flickr page. The photo set link is at: www.flickr.com/photos/osagenews/sets/72157631915069910/
Location
Grayhorse, OK
By
Benny Polacca
Original Publish Date: 2012-11-02 00:00:00
