The elevator in the Charleston City Hall is the same elevator that was in the building when it opened in 1964.

It can take up to a minute to ascend one floor in the small elevator.

Charleston City Planner Jeff Finley said the elevator is old and tired and a lot of the same problems keep happening. Whenever it is in need of repairs, parts are not easy to find.

“Parts have to be hand-fabricated to get it back in service,” Finley said.

Creating a new elevator is a main focus of the ongoing construction at City Hall, which began in the fall.

Finley said this is the last phase of making the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Currently, construction crews are building a new elevator shaft and entrance to the building.

Other than a new elevator, windows are being installed in the building after a 20-year absence.

During the late 1980s, the city council voted to brick up the windows, because it was cheaper.

“That particular council did not want to spend money to put up windows,” Finley said.

The building made people feel like they were in a cave, he added.

Mayor John Inyart said windows would make the building more inviting for the employees and people of the community.

The windows, which are all installed except for the trim work, are energy-conserving double-paned windows.

In addition to the energy-conserving windows, City Hall will get energy-conserving outdoor insulation, which will look like brick when completed.

The decorative insulation is similar to the covering of Roc’s Blackfront, 410 Sixth St., Finley said.

It would match buildings in the area and “not stick out like a sore thumb,” he added. “I think it is long overdue,” Inyart said. “It will greatly improve the appearance of the building making it a better ‘fit’ to the rest of downtown.”

The city is also getting rid of the overhead electrical wires to the building, which will also save money by upgrading the electric service to the building.

Other parts of the project include making the bathrooms handicapped-accessible. Finley said $540,000 of the project was contracted out, while city crews will do $100,000 of the work.

During winter months, the city plans inside jobs for employees who mainly work outdoors.

“You don’t want to have to lay anyone off,” Finley said. “We plan inside projects to stay good and busy.”

While Finley expects the elevator to be operational within the next 45 days, the insulation will not be completed under warmer weather. It can only be applied with temperatures 50 degrees or higher.

“I am pleased with the progress to date and am looking forward to completion,” said City Manager Scott Smith.

Matt Hopf can be reached at 581-7945 or at mthopf@eiu.edu.

Plumber Jason Walters applies PVC cement to a pipe before intalling a connector piece in the men’s room on the second floor of Charleston’s City Hall on Thursday morning. (Eric Hiltner

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