Demolition of the old opera house building at Forest and Williams will begin Thursday or Friday, Great Bend city officials said Tuesday. The work, being done by Nelson Stone, could take two or three weeks.
The safety fence went up Tuesday.
Forest Avenue from the alley between Stone Street and Williams Street to Williams Street, and Williams Street from the south side of the intersection of Williams Street and Forest Avenue to the alley one half block south will be closed roughly between  8 a.m. and 6 p.m. during active demolition for safety purposes when Stone is working on the upper floors and there is a chance of debris falling.
Traffic can still flow through the intersection at these times, but both lanes of the above-mentioned stretches will be shut down.
Stone has permission from the impacted business owners and they will be given 48-hour notice about when work will commence.
During the evening, traffic will be able to drive unabated. And, after Stone has reduced the structure to one floor, the closures will be unnecessary.
 The building is owned by David and Barbara Pitcock of Hays. The cost of the demolition is being paid by the city, but will be charged against the Pitcock’s taxes.