HARRISBURG, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Sept. 8.
Vendors at Broad Street Market have been without overhead shelter since July 10 when a fire ripped through the brick building.
City of Harrisburg officials say construction of a temporary tent with electricity, water, heating and cooling has been ongoing for months, but supply chain issues are making it hard to make more significant progress.
"Never once during this process have we stopped working or, for that matter, moved backwards," spokesperson Matt Maisel said via email. "Building the temp structure is simply moving slower than we would have hoped right now. Make no mistake though, we are progressing forward."
Officials say they never set a firm date for the temporary structure to open—and won't—because they cannot foresee supply chain issues and conflicts with contractor availability.
"...it's been definitely worse than we expected," Maisel said.
Despite the setbacks, officials say dedicated volunteers are making sure the project does not come to a complete standstill. Local union workers have given their time, lumber and equipment to set up the outside of the tent and start building the wood framework on the inside.
The City of Harrisburg said in September that although technically temporary, the tent is expected to remain in place for at least two years, which is the amount of time expected to rebuild the market’s brick building.