Council Chambers to reopen April 12 following extensive repairs

Posted 4/4/19

City Council Chambers, which sustained significant damage following the failure of a fire suppression line, will reopen April 12 - a month ahead of the projected schedule - Mayor Joseph Solomon announced in a release yesterday. The Chambers have been

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Council Chambers to reopen April 12 following extensive repairs

Posted

City Council Chambers, which sustained significant damage following the failure of a fire suppression line, will reopen April 12 – a month ahead of the projected schedule – Mayor Joseph Solomon announced in a release yesterday. 

The Chambers have been closed since the morning of October 22, when city workers discovered water spilling from the ceiling, causing significant damage. Since that time, extensive repair and restoration work has been ongoing. The entire ceiling and walls have been scraped and painted, and ornate stenciling on the walls has been repainted by hand – a very time consuming process. The hardwood flooring that was buckling from the moisture was removed and new flooring installed. This week crews are in the process of applying final coats of staining to the floors, Solomon said.

Costs of the repairs, put at more than $500,000 are being covered by insurance.

Closure of the chambers resulted in the City Council and a number of other municipal boards and commissions having to find alternative meeting space in locations throughout the City.  

“The line failure caused a lot of disruption, but a new, beautifully restored Council Chambers is certainly a silver lining in all of this,” Solomon said in a statement. “I think the public will be pleased with the results. I must commend the Interlocal Trust and all contractors involved for working so diligently to expedite completion of this project.”

The mayor also said that work on the Buttonwoods Center is progressing on schedule, with a projected completion by month’s end. Once the facility reopens, it will house most of the municipal departments that were displaced to the former Greene Elementary School after a pipe burst in the Annex in January 2018 and a new community room for use by seniors and other organizations. 

“The Buttonwoods Center has always been an important part of our community and a popular gathering place for many residents,” the Mayor said. “I know our employees are looking forward to moving into a clean, attractive and centrally-located place to work, and I look forward to welcoming our citizens back to Buttonwoods very soon.”

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