One of the owners of a downtown Springfield bar says it’ll still be opening this year – just in a different place.
The Bus Stop was slated to open on Aug. 28, but a water main break the day before halted those plans. The main broke on Monroe between 4th and 5th streets; crews had the break repaired within a day.
During an interview on “First Listen” Thursday morning, co-owner Zac Lowman said water flooded the bar’s basement up to its 6-foot-high ceiling. He says the flooding damaged $15,000 worth of liquor and appliances alone.
Lowman said the bar’s business owner and building owner insurance companies both said that the damage was excluded from their coverage because the flooding came from groundwater from an outside source.
“Right now, we’re sitting on quite a bit of damage,” he said. “That’s what put us in such dire straits.”
Lowman said downtown businesses helped raise money for the Bus Stop through fundraisers. He said the bar plans on remaining downtown and is wanting to open in a new location by November.
“We’re going to be fast-moving with this,” Lowman said. “We’ve put a lot of hard work, money, and sweat equity into getting this open, so we’re trying to do it as fast as time and our financial situation will allow.”
Lowman said the bar may receive assistance from the city, but “nothing is promised.”
