Building escapes major damage after vehicle slams into it

NEGAUNEE — Officials at Negaunee Public Schools say the damage done to the concession stand at the football complex Sunday could have been much worse. A Negaunee man, identified as 33-year-old Gerald Potvin, drove his vehicle right into the building.

Most of the damage was done to one of the exterior walls. According to Negaunee Public Schools Superintendent Dan Skewis, one of the interior walls is cracked and a toilet was broke. The concession stand is used during football season and in the spring for track and field events.

Skewis hopes to have the building repaired before winter arrives.

“The person that will be doing the masonry work will take care of it before any major snowfall and before the temperatures really get cold,” said Skewis. “We don’t heat that building during the winter, so that’s not a big deal for us,” he added.

The concession stand has served the school and the city in a number of ways for many, many years.

“When I was a kid, I grew up in that neighborhood and we called it The Shack,” said Skewis. “It used to be a warming area for an ice rink that was on those Arch Street tennis courts. In the winter it was always just a tennis building for our high school tennis team.”

For crashing into the building, Potvin faces charges of reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and failing to report an accident. He’s set to be arraigned in Marquette County District Court November 22nd.