Date: Fri 24-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Edmond-Town-Hall-roof-Beers

Full Text:

Roof Work Will Raise A Stink At Edmond Town Hall

(with photo)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

The roof at Edmond Town Hall will be replaced soon but not without some

inconvenience for town employees and visitors to the 70-year-old building.

At a preconstruction meeting held Tuesday morning, Steven Daigle, vice

president of Commercial Roofing & Contracting, Inc, of Putnam, the contractor

which has been hired to do the reroofing, said the $243,400 project will begin

in early November and probably will take two to three months.

H.B. Fishman & Company, Inc, of South Windsor, is the construction management

firm that will serve as clerk of the works. The project will involve a

complete replacement of the four flat roofs on the back of the building, the

entire pitched slate roof as well as all other new flashings, drains, vents,

copings, and other related metalwork.

The most intrusive aspect of the job is expected to occur during the first two

or three weeks when cold tar pitch is used on the roof.

"Cold tar pitch is not a nice smell. Some people will have trouble (breathing)

it -- that we know for sure," Mr Daigle said.

Edgar Beers, president of the Town Hall Board of Managers, said everyone who

works in the building will be notified before the work begins. Pregnant women

and persons with allergies could be affected by the tar, he said.

Since the work will begin in November, the building's windows will be closed

and that should help somewhat, he said.

The tar will be heated in large boilers which probably will be located on the

south side of the building under the windows of the Board of Managers office,

the 911 emergency dispatch center and the old courtroom. The driveway must be

kept clear for traffic because it is used by the Hook & Ladder Fire Company

for access from the firehouse to Main Street, Mr Beers said.

Noise also will be an annoyance. During the first few weeks of the project the

Tuesday matinees of the town hall theater will be cancelled, according to

theater manager Tom Mahoney.

"I'll play it by ear and won't schedule matinees on those days when the work

is being done," Mr Mahoney said.

Board member Bill Honan asked whether the fire company's siren and antennas on

the roof will be affected by the reroofing.

"There will be new supports for the antennas but for the most part we will

work around them," Mr Daigle said.

The Board of Managers said that if power to the siren and antennas has to be

interrupted, the emergency dispatch center must be notified in advance so that

an alternate system can be implemented to notify the volunteer firefighters of

a fire call. The antenna sends out a signal which activates the pagers of the

firefighters.

Parking also will be affected by the reroofing project. Parking will be

discouraged adjacent to the building because the dust and tar can damage the

paint on vehicles. Town hall employees will be asked to park in the lower rear

lot to allow the public to park in front of the building and in the rear of

the upper lot.

Ripping off and rebuilding the old flat roof should only take a few weeks but

the metalwork and the pitched slate is a much longer project.

"We do flat roofing all winter long," Mr Daigle said. "But working with slate

is very precise work. It will take time. You can't walk on slate if it is

frosty or wet."

Originally the board intended to get only the flat roofs and part of the slate

roof redone. Finally the members decided it made more sense in the long run to

do the entire roof including all of the slate which was installed on the

building when it was constructed in 1929-30.

"Everything will be new. You've got a Cadillac going in here -- this slate

roof will be a nice project," Mr Daigle agreed.

Legislative Council voted earlier this year to give the Board of Managers

$85,750 toward the roof replacement. Although town offices are located in the

building, the town traditionally has not contributed to its operation and

maintenance. These costs have been paid by interest from the Mary Hawley

Trust, movie ticket sales and rentals of the Alexandria Room, the gym and

other rooms in the building.

When the council approved the money for the roof in June, its members said

they recognized that the town will have to contribute more money in the future

for building maintenance because the Board of Managers' capital account now

will be depleted.

Mr Honan said that as of November 1 the town finance office also will take

over the payroll and accounting functions of the Board of Managers. Last

summer the board cut its staff, eliminating a full-time office manager and a

full-time maintenance supervisor and replacing them with part-time workers, at

a savings of $30,000 a year.