LEBANON, Ore. — After a car crashed into the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce building earlier in March, staff are working to repair the damage while the suspected culprit awaits legal proceedings.
In the early morning of March 1, a car crashed into the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce building and caused severe damage. Chamber of Commerce staff said the crash broke windows and doors, cracked the outer façade, and damaged the foundation and interior. Security cameras caught the incident on tape, and captured footage of an SUV losing control and crashing into the building, before driving away from the scene.
According to Rebecca Grizzle, the President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, the extensive damage might cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair, and there is no timeline on when those repairs might be made.
“It’s going to be a lot of work,” Grizzle said. “We’re going to make lemonade out of these lemons life has served us, and we’re going to kind of rethink how we have the layout of our building, so we’re looking forward to that part. It’s just going to be a lot of work getting there.”
Chamber of Commerce officials are in the process of litigation for damages. They said two exterior walls will be replaced, along with an interior wall that will be removed and then put back up. The Chamber is currently waiting to hear from their insurance provider to see what they’ll cover. Even though this is an unfortunate incident, Grizzle said it’s a new opportunity because not much work has been done on the building since the Chamber occupied in the 1980’s besides basic paint and carpet work.
According to the Lebanon Police Department, the driver who allegedly hit the building was arrested on March 10. Lebanon police said Johnathan David, 30, of Lebanon, was arrested and charged with reckless driving, hit and run, and first-degree criminal mischief.