City Hall renovations near final stages of completion
The Charleston City Hall renovations are 80 percent done, said City Planner Jeff Finley.
These renovations, ranging from the replacement of the building’s elevator – which is more than 50 years old – to new windows, to a new facade covering for the building.
The facade covering will be made of Dryvit Exterior Insulation Finish Systems that will go on the outside of the building and give the appearance of a brick exterior.
Finley said will make City Hall resemble the other buildings on the Square. Bergner Construction will be in charge of the Dryvit installation.
But the installation will have to wait until the weather consistently stays above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, Bergner said. If it were installed in cold weather, the Dryvit might not set correctly, he said.
If Dryvit is installed in sub-50-degree weather, the product might be uninsurable, Finley added.
While there are still a few months’ worth of exterior construction left on the project, progress on the interior is closer to completion.
Work on the elevator might be completed next week, and work on the first floor of the building is also nearing completion, Finley said.
The inside renovations will give city employees in the building a view of the outside world from their offices for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The windows, which were once present on the side of City Hall, were removed long ago for energy conservation reasons, said Mayor John Inyart.
Employees can be more comfortable with their workspaces with the outside view, he added.
But employees are not the only people who will benefit from the interior renovations, Inyart said.
“It will make (the building) a more user-friendly environment for city employees and citizens,” he said.
Charleston residents have made positive comments about the renovations and think the renovations are worth the effort, Inyart said.
“I think everybody recognizes the building is 47 years old and is in need of some repairs,” he said. “It was a wise investment,” he said.
Jordan Crook can be reached at 581-7495 or at jscrook@eiu.edu.
City Hall renovations near final stages of completion
Driving down Jackson Avenue you might have to merge over to the left lane to avoid the roadblock where the construction of the new elevator is. (John Bailey / The Daily Eastern News)
