July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Odor affects city hall in Dunkirk (09/07/07)
By By ROBERT BANSER-
DUNKIRK - A pungent, putrid odor permeating city hall is forcing officials here to cut back on hours and service to the public.
City hall will be open half-days (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) until further notice, city clerk-treasurer Jane Kesler said this morning.
The building, located at 131 S. Main St., is normally open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with the exception of Wednesday when it closes at noon
Kesler said that the cause of the unwanted odor is under investigation. Samples of suspected mold and mildew from the structure are being analyzed by Hoosier Microbiological Laboratory in Muncie.
Kesler said this morning that city officials are continuing to wait for test results from HML to determine the seriousness and extent of the problem. Meanwhile the city hall has only been open on a part-time basis this week due to health concerns for the employees.
Kesler said that herself and deputy clerk Jacinda Jarvis have been suffering from headaches and flu-like symptoms. Both have been coughing in recent days and their eyes have been feeling irritated.
Kesler said that the city hall was closed for testing procedures on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Friday, Aug. 31.
The building was reopened on Tuesday, Sept. 4, but the odor remained and the cutback in hours has since been put into effect.
The clerk-treasurer said that initially HML told city officials the test results would be ready by sometime this week, but she said the latest estimate is early next week.
Meanwhile Monday night's council meeting is still set for 7 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall, Kesler said.
She said that the initial inspection by testing laboratory representatives indicated the presence of mold and mildew - especially in the basement. Kesler added that following some recent heavy rains, standing water was found in the basement which is partially a dirt floor.
Suspected mold was found in a crawl space under the building, she said.
The approximately 100-year-old structure formerly housed a grocery store and later the Tops Restaurant with some apartments upstairs. In 1994-1995 it was renovated for use as a city hall.
The renovation and remodeling work involved gutting the first floor of the two-story structure and constructing offices, a council chambers and handicapped accessible washroom in that area. The second floor of the building included vacant apartment units. It is currently being used as a storage area.
S.A. Boyce of Muncie completed the renovation work, after being awarded a $241,383 contract for the project. A large portion of this expense was paid with state and federal grant funds, city officials said.
When the building opened as a city hall in January, 1995 consulting architect Robert Finger described the project as a "complete gut" with the introduction of new electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning systems.
Prior to moving to the 131 S. Main St. building, Dunkirk City Hall had been located across the street at 118 S. Main St. which is the present site of the Dunkirk Police Station.
That move was necessitated by federal guidelines which mandated that the council meeting chambers should be handicapped accessible. The former council meeting room was located on the second floor of that structure where the stairway is steep and there is no elevator in the building.
In 1994 city officials said that mold and mildew problems in the 118 S. Main St. building caused some city employees to have allergic reactions. That building had to be renovated before the police department facilities could be relocated there.[[In-content Ad]]
City hall will be open half-days (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) until further notice, city clerk-treasurer Jane Kesler said this morning.
The building, located at 131 S. Main St., is normally open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with the exception of Wednesday when it closes at noon
Kesler said that the cause of the unwanted odor is under investigation. Samples of suspected mold and mildew from the structure are being analyzed by Hoosier Microbiological Laboratory in Muncie.
Kesler said this morning that city officials are continuing to wait for test results from HML to determine the seriousness and extent of the problem. Meanwhile the city hall has only been open on a part-time basis this week due to health concerns for the employees.
Kesler said that herself and deputy clerk Jacinda Jarvis have been suffering from headaches and flu-like symptoms. Both have been coughing in recent days and their eyes have been feeling irritated.
Kesler said that the city hall was closed for testing procedures on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Friday, Aug. 31.
The building was reopened on Tuesday, Sept. 4, but the odor remained and the cutback in hours has since been put into effect.
The clerk-treasurer said that initially HML told city officials the test results would be ready by sometime this week, but she said the latest estimate is early next week.
Meanwhile Monday night's council meeting is still set for 7 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall, Kesler said.
She said that the initial inspection by testing laboratory representatives indicated the presence of mold and mildew - especially in the basement. Kesler added that following some recent heavy rains, standing water was found in the basement which is partially a dirt floor.
Suspected mold was found in a crawl space under the building, she said.
The approximately 100-year-old structure formerly housed a grocery store and later the Tops Restaurant with some apartments upstairs. In 1994-1995 it was renovated for use as a city hall.
The renovation and remodeling work involved gutting the first floor of the two-story structure and constructing offices, a council chambers and handicapped accessible washroom in that area. The second floor of the building included vacant apartment units. It is currently being used as a storage area.
S.A. Boyce of Muncie completed the renovation work, after being awarded a $241,383 contract for the project. A large portion of this expense was paid with state and federal grant funds, city officials said.
When the building opened as a city hall in January, 1995 consulting architect Robert Finger described the project as a "complete gut" with the introduction of new electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning systems.
Prior to moving to the 131 S. Main St. building, Dunkirk City Hall had been located across the street at 118 S. Main St. which is the present site of the Dunkirk Police Station.
That move was necessitated by federal guidelines which mandated that the council meeting chambers should be handicapped accessible. The former council meeting room was located on the second floor of that structure where the stairway is steep and there is no elevator in the building.
In 1994 city officials said that mold and mildew problems in the 118 S. Main St. building caused some city employees to have allergic reactions. That building had to be renovated before the police department facilities could be relocated there.[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD