Marvin Heemeyer, 52, was angry with the town council and local newspaper over a zoning dispute that permitted a cement plant to be built next to his muffler shop. The offices of the Granby Sky-High News were among the buildings that were leveled, the Washington Post reported June 6. After the two-hour attack, Heemeyer was found dead inside his vehicle, an apparent suicide.
Librarian Cathy Pritchard told the Post she managed to hustle a group of children attending story hour out the back door just before the building’s wall collapsed. Town Manager Tom Hale said an engineering consultant recommended tearing down the extensively damaged civic building unless there were important documents inside, the Denver Post reported June 6. Replacing the 5,000-square-foot facility would cost more than $1.1 million. Gov. Bill Owens announced June 10 that Granby would receive $500,000 in state aid to help rebuild the town hall and $100,000 towards the library, the Associated Press reported June 10.
According to the Granby Library’s website, the library has set up a temporary location in the nearby Granby Elementary School.
Posted June 11, 2004.