PHOTO GALLERY: Downtown construction crew replace historic bricks, battle heat

Mike Engelbrecht and Craig Roettgen do construction work Wednesday afternoon on the Eighth Street sidewalk. All four corners are being remodeled.   |  Robert Swain

Mike Engelbrecht wipes the sweat from his face Wednesday afternoon on the Eighth Street sidewalk. Engelbrecht calls his bandana his “dune buggy dew rag,” because he uses it to keep the dirt out of his eyes while driving his dune buggy.   |  Robert Swain

Craig Roettgen uses a backhoe to lift a slab of concrete Wednesday afternoon on the corner of Eighth Street and Broadway.   |  Robert Swain

A pile of bricks sits on Broadway on Wednesday afternoon. Construction site superintendent Tom Prenger said the bricks will be kept for historical purposes.   |  Robert Swain

Kyle Green hammers rebar Wednesday afternoon on Eighth Street. Green has been working in construction for 12 years.   |  Robert Swain

Rodolfo Agailar, left, Lester Rio and Bryan Grieme restore the Dumas building in downtown Columbia on Wednesday afternoon. According to Grieme, the foreman of the painting crew, they work from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the heat makes their work slower.   |  Robert Swain

A barrel of water is placed with other tools while Rodolfo Agailar works at the Dumas building Wednesday afternoon. To fight against the hot weather, the painting crew brought a lot of water with them.   |  Yi Gan