We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
In this photo locals may recognize the bar in the front room of the former Spa Bar near Zurich. The old bar has been removed and the area will serve as the reception area when Aiton Veterinary Services completes its move to the newly 'reconstructed' space.
The owners at the Journal asked if I would write about Dr. Brock Aiton's moving his veterinary service to a new clinic at the old Spa Bar on US Hwy 2 at Zurich. I'd heard Aiton Veterinary Service was moving to the building and was interested to see how the conversion of the historic building to a vet clinic was progressing.
After a tour of the facility, still in the final throes of finishing the remodel, Dr. Aiton told there would be a grand opening celebration for the new clinic on Friday, May 31. He, his family and staff are welcoming visitors to come check out the new facility. Here's a bit of background about the history of the old building, some details about the reconfiguration of the facility and information about how the new space will allow for treatment and services for both large and small animals.
Dr. Brock Aiton, DVM, came to Chinook in 2012
Brock completed college and veterinary school at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colorado. A classmate in the veterinarian program at CSU is the grandson of Julia Friede who lives in Chinook. The friend/classmate told Brock of an opening he'd learned about with Dr. Roger Baxter at Blaine County Veterinary Service in Chinook. Brock started work at the local clinic in 2012 and in 2014 married Larissa Baird who grew up in Chinook. The Aitons have two children, Chaz (3) and Jenna (1).
After four and a half years with the Blaine County Veterinary Service Dr. Aiton decided to start a solo practice. He has a small clinic on the place where he and his family live outside Chinook in Paradise Valley. That practice was mobile and mostly focused on cattle. Describing the startup of the service in the Valley Brock laughingly said, "The first surgery I did was in my kitchen."
A new clinic in an old place...
Asked why the move to a new clinic Brock said, "I'd been thinking about finding a place where I could expand and vary my practice. I looked at several buildings for sale but none seemed to really meet the needs I anticipated." He'd looked at the Spa Bar earlier, then later decided to call Gay Miller, one of his clients, to see if the building might be for sale. Gay talked to her mom, Loma Miller, who owned the Spa Bar. Loma Miller agreed to sell and the deal was closed in the summer of 2023.
It's not totally clear when the building was built near the old bank in Zurich as a grocery and mercantile. A note in a file suggests a build date of 1913 but some locals question that date. One thing is clear, the building was moved from Zurich, south across the railroad tracks and US Hwy 2, in 1942. It's also agreed the building was sawed in half during the move. Some say the move was on a rock sled, others say some vintage military trucks were used. Whatever the method, a basement and foundation were in place and once set the building served as a grocery and a bar for a few years, later was a bar only. Howard W. and Loma Miller bought the building in June, 1986. The bar ceased operation sometime around 2011.
Locals recall the big dances held in the basement of the bar. One old timer said, "There would be so many cars coming in and out of the parking area the highway traffic had to stop." Other folks recall dropping in with their families for the bar's famed hamburgers. Many regional gatherings and celebrations were held there over the years.
Repurposing the Spa Bar to house Aiton Veterinary Services.
Brock began preparing the building for the remodel in the summer of 2023. Explaining his need for a clinic Brock said: "With my mobile service I am mainly limited to working with cattle, which tends to be cyclical. Having a clinic will allow me to serve clients year-round and include both small and large animals in my practice."
When it was time to start the new construction Brock's father, Sam Aiton, joined the project. Sam began in bridge construction shortly after college and worked in some aspect of construction until his retirement as area manager for COP Construction in February, 2023. Asked how things have changed for him since retirement, Sam chuckled and said, "I'm still working but now I don't get paid." The father son construction team worked from a plan that Sam had drawn for the layout of the new clinic.
I asked what was the biggest challenge in construction. Brock looked at his dad and they both smiled. Sam said, "What wasn't a big challenge?" Sam explained the building is a century old. It has all the expected problems: out of square, out of plumb, uneven floors and modifications through the years that didn't work well. Sam added, "It was often hard to 'match' additions we needed to modernize the existing building." He gave one example of the floor in a room that sagged three inches lower on one side.
"But," he added, "the 'bones' on this old building are good. When you have a building with good bones it's more economical to modify the existing building that to build a new one." Per Sam, "The repurposing was a "total reconstruction" with major components replaced including windows and doors, electrical, heating/cooling and new siding outside and new floors inside."
Newly created spaces include a reception area just inside the front door where the bar once sat along the west wall. The open space on the east side of the building has been walled off to create exam rooms. Specialty rooms for x-ray and surgery are toward the back of the clinic space. Some 'living quarters' have been preserved in the center of the building. The outside patio that was open except for a roof, is now enclosed as space to work larger animals.
The open house will be Friday, May 31, from 2-7pm. The public is invited to come see the new home of Aiton Veterinary Services and observe how the Spa Bar has taken on a new role in our community.
