DENISON, TX-- An entire block of Main Street in Denison that's been closed for nearly a month, could reopen just in time for the busy holiday weekend.

City officials were forced to shut down the 100 block of Main Street to protect residents after portions of an historic building deteriorated and fell into the road.

Now, the city is stepping in to help fix the problem.

At an emergency meeting at City Hall, Thursday, Denison Mayor Robert Brady spoke to council members, business owners, and residents.

He said the city could no longer put off reopening the street near the Katy Depot.

Since June 4th, business owners have spoke out about how the closure has hurt foot traffic.

Thursday, plans were revealed that could have the street back open as early as Friday

"The insurance company, the engineer, and all the folks that were necessary to get that done, were not getting it done. So, we just could not remain, allowing the street to be closed," Mayor Robert Brady, said.

The owner of the Katy Antique Station, the building that crumbled on June 4th, is Denison resident, Paulette Hyatt.

Hyatt says it's taken a while to get estimates for repairs from her insurance company, and to draw up plans that comply with city codes and regulations.

"It's been exhausting,” Hyatt, said. “Because at first you know, the time frame and the wasted time, and getting a reaction from the insurance company was stressful."

Hyatt's building was closed, and the entire 100 block of Main street, shut down.
But after concerns from residents and business owners, the city drew up sketches and worked with engineers to lay out a plan to safely reopen the road using barriers, a crane and fencing at a cost of around $7,600.

"One of the engineers, happened to have some of the barriers that we need,” Mayor Brady, said. “If we had to go get some of our own barriers, it would have been $14,000-$15,000, so he really helped us out."

Brady says the city should be reimbursed by Hyatt's insurance company.

Hyatt says she was pleased with the outcome of the special meeting, and can't help but laugh when she thinks about her ordeal.
She looks forward to sharing the plans with individuals who have been waiting almost a month, for some good news.

"I've heard from the vendors,” Hyatt said with a chuckle. “They very much would like it to be open. One of them said she was going to have to go into therapy soon if we didn't open because that was her therapy."