PEABODY – Northeast Arc’s Breaking Grounds Cafe will be closed for at least four to six weeks so crews can repair water damage to the site during a fire last week.
The flames broke out in a third-floor unit of the 65 Main St. building. around 7 am on Wednesday. While the fire was contained to that unit, the building sustained water damage from sprinkler systems and fire hoses. The 36 residents have been displaced.
Breaking Grounds is a training site for people with developmental disabilities to work in the food service industry. Two employees and two guests were inside the store when the fire broke out, but in addition to a man who was taken to the hospital with a minor case of smoke inhalation in another area of the building, no one was injured.
“The closure of the cafeteria will have a significant impact on our Project Perk interns, who will unfortunately have to put their job training on hold while the cafeteria is rebuilt,” Northeast Arc President Jo Ann said on Friday Simons, in a statement.
All Breaking Grounds employees will be offered other temporary roles at Northeast Arc while the store is closed, Tim Brown, director of innovation and strategy for Northeast Arc, said in an interview Friday. They will keep their salaries and participants in the job training program will be temporarily transferred to other programs, he added.
There will be significant financial losses from water-damaged equipment, lost food and lost revenue for the cafeteria, Simons said. The cafeteria is funded solely through sales made in the cafeteria and catering, he added.
“While we hope insurance can cover some of the losses, there are many costs associated with the program, including our commitment to maintaining salaries and additional support for inmates, that will not be covered in the cafeteria and throughout the organization,” he said.
There’s no estimate yet on how much the work will cost, but floors and ceilings will definitely need to be replaced, Brown said. Northeast Arc won’t be able to assess damage to electronic devices until next week because the building is still disabled, he said.
“If equipment needs to be replaced, reopening could take longer as a result of supply chain issues with restaurant-grade equipment,” Brown said.
Updates on repair efforts will be posted on the organization’s website, ne-arc.orgor their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.
“I can promise you that we will rebuild Breaking Grounds and it will be better than ever,” Simons said. “I look forward to welcoming you all back for a cup of coffee when we reopen.”
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolineEnos.
