By Mike Harris – Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

San Bernardino County gave Goodwin and Son’s Market the green light on Monday, July 24, to begin construction of a new roof, which collapsed on March 2 under the weight of too much snow.

“Our building permit application (for the new roof) was submitted to the county a little over a month ago in early June,” Mike Johnstone, Goodwin’s vice president and general manager, told the Alpine Mountaineer. “The county got back to us two and a half weeks later with questions and gave us feedback on a few small corrections. They needed more information about the roof bracing, and more description for a couple things.”

With the approval of the roof’s building permit, construction can now proceed.

In early June, Johnstone added, Goodwin’s put the roof project out to bid with three contractors.

“We have received all three bids,” he went on. “The two biggest critical issues were timeline and price. The timelines are where we need them to be.”

Johnstone said the family expects to announce the winning bid later this week.

“The building permit is just for the roof and the front façade of the market,” he said. “The design we’re looking at would tie together the town’s overall Swiss theme and includes an elevated patio. That way, our customers can sit out front, have coffee or maybe lunch from the deli and view the lake.”

The building permit application for the interior of the market is the next step, Johnstone explained.

“We’re about three weeks away from sending the application to the county for that,” he said. “We’ve been focusing on the interior, making sure the layout works, things like where we need power, plumbing, refrigerator lines, and health department requirements, such as soffits with wipeable surfaces.”

Johnstone said the center of the store will still feature candy selections on one end and the soda fountain on the other. There will be some new features, he added.

“We plan to have a coffee and juice bar as part of the center, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.” he said. “It will include a selection of doughnuts and pastries. We think that would be important. And we are still on track for opening Goodwin’s Market in March of 2024.”