Main event in Bethel

Kevin Barry, of Barnard, center right, talks with G.W. Tatro Construction Superintendent Jay Lafontaine, white helmet, as workers lay a water line into Barry’s building, the Blossom Block, on Main Street in Bethel, Vt., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Work started in May to replace the water main under Main Street and Barry needed to tie into the line to feed a sprinkler system as he renovates the building. “I wasn’t expecting it to be this big of a mess, but it’s a mess,” said Barry of the project that has tied up traffic and kept customers away from downtown businesses. “But we’re happy because we need the infrastructure for Bethel to be viable for the next 150 years.” (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. James M. Patterson

Kevin Barry, right, his partner Sarah Roberts, center left, and friend Evan Schleif, center right, wait for workers to connect Barry’s building, the Blossom Block, with a new water main before they can refill the hole they dug to allow access to building’s foundation, in Bethel, Vt., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Barry bought the building three years ago and has been working to bring it up to code. “These historic buildings in our downtown are sort of our heritage and if they leave us, they’re not coming back,” said Barry. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. James M. Patterson