Bay City’s Prime Event Center to be demolished, says business

BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) – The Prime Event Center, a structure that has been a fixture in Bay City for years, is going to meet its end next week.

This is according to the owners of neighboring Washington Lanes and Strikers Sports Bar; that business shares a wall with the Prime Event Center, which used to be the Empire Theatre.

The co-owners of the business said they’ve been in constant communication with the developer of the Prime Event Center site in Bay City.

“They still had to contact us because we share a wall with them,” said Brentt Brunner.

He and Jeff Knapp are co-owners of Washington Lanes and Strikers Sports Bar. They would not tell TV5 who the developer for the Prime Event Center project is, but they did say what they know about the future of this site.

“We’ve been told that the Prime Event Center will be coming down probably within the next week or so. And a new development is coming in that has retail and residential capabilities,” Brunner said.

He said the developer is planning to work around the open hours at his business to try and avoid any disruptions to customers. But Brunner said he’s prepared in case something unexpected comes up.

“First of all, we want to make sure that any dust coming from the demolition isn’t going to get into our ventilation system and cause a problem inside the bowling alley. Plus, with us serving food and drink, we have to make sure that everything is safe for the people that come in. So, closing the building is actually what we’re going to have to do just so we can keep everyone safe,” Brunner said.

As of Friday afternoon, June 21, Brunner was expecting to be open during the posted operating hours of the business.

“They’re going to be doing most of their work during the day. So, it should not affect any of our nighttime activities, such as bowling leagues, pool leagues, things like that,” he said.

Brunner said he hasn’t been told by the developer what day the demolition will start next week, or when the work will be wrapped up.

“We hate to see a landmark go away here in Bay City. But having the Prime come down, and something new coming up, it could drive new business to Washington Lanes,” he said.

Brunner said if there are any unexpected closures due to the demolition, he’ll communicate that through the Washington Lanes website and the Washington Lanes Facebook page.

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