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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/us/18blast.html?_r=1&hp

Fatal Blast Wounds a City to Its Core

BOZEMAN, Mont. – In the struggle to keep its historic core viable, this city, with throngs of college students, Yellowstone-bound tourists and wealthy second-home owners, has defied the trend of declining downtowns.  Main Street is a bustling place.

But a natural gas explosion nearly two weeks ago ripped a hole in the heart of Bozeman’s downtown, killing a woman, leveling five historic buildings that contained thriving businesses and damaging several more whose condition will not be known for some time. Dozens of plate glass windows on Main Street were blown out.

Concern about the future of the historic downtown, a five-block stretch of Main Street and a block on either side, grew last week when investigators said the cause of the explosion was a leak in a gas line to one of the destroyed businesses, Montana Trails Gallery. The line was more than 70 years old. The woman who died, Tara Bowman, the gallery director, was working when the explosion occurred. City officials say that no estimate of damages has been released.

Beyond the obvious destruction, the blast delivered a deep psychic blow to the business district, which was already going through some difficulty because of the declining economy.

“The explosion has significantly rocked this community,” said Chris Pope, a commercial real estate agent and the owner of a severely damaged building.  “People are holding their breath. The stark realities of doing business in 2009 is in the front of everybody’s mind. There will be businesses that leave downtown.”

The accident comes as the economy here, as in so many other places across the country, has been hit hard. Bozeman though, with the likes of the media mogul Ted Turner and Tim Blixseth, developer of the super-rich Yellowstone
Club, has seen more of a boom than other parts of the state and so is feeling the impact more deeply.

“We’re not immune to the recession,” said Chris Kukulski, the city manager.  “And to have a hole in the ground and all the businesses that brought people downtown gone is going to be felt.”
…..

All of that affects Bozeman’s downtown business district. “Since last fall we’ve seen planned projects come to a halt,” said Mark Hufstetler, chairman of the city’s Historic Preservation Advisory Board.  “I don’t think we’ll see a parking lot in the middle of downtown Bozeman,” he said, but a replacement building “won’t be constructed as readily because of the economy.”

The explosion has taken an emotional toll, as well.

“People have a lump in their throat,” said Laura Ryan, an owner of Barrel Mountaineering, across the street from the blast site. “I didn’t cry for me or for my store, but I cried for the buildings that are gone and for downtown. Here’s where I based my life, and it’s gone and it hurts.”

Ms. Ryan’s store survived, but two of its large plate glass windows were blown out and much of the inventory ruined.

Residents worry about the potential for other gas line problems. A leak a year and half ago closed part of downtown for one day. The fire department is fielding four to six calls a day from worried residents; most are false alarms, but three more gas leaks have been found.

Still, some downtown business owners insist Bozeman will recover. “It’s going to be long and hard, but this town will not let downtown die,” Ms. Ryan said. “It’s a gorgeous little downtown.”

For now, people still seem to be coming to grips with what happened.  “It’s still a very fresh wound for a lot of people,” Ms. Ryan said.

Tags: Bozeman, dead, explosion, natural gas explosion, pipelines, reduce demand