Weiler work delayed (8/17/05)

Work on renovation of the Weiler Building as the new home of John Jay Center for Learning in Portland won’t begin until next spring.

JJCL president Doug Inman said Tuesday the timetable has been moved back because of the complexity of paperwork involving a $500,000 Community Focus Fund grant which will help pay for the first phase of the project.

Inman, Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier, architect Ron Ross of Martin Riley Mock, Fort Wayne, and JJCL executive director Rob Weaver met for three hours Tuesday morning with grant administrator Kristi Sturtz to make sure all procedures are being followed properly.

The original grant has been modified to allow for replacement of the building’s display windows with two sheets of glass instead of one. State historic preservation officials at the Department of Natural Resources approved the change after concluding that replacement with a single sheet of glass would not be feasible. The display windows will have a small seam when the project is completed.

Inman said it now looks as if the grant funds will be released by the state late this fall. Architectural plans and specifications should be completed by the middle of September, when the project will be advertised for bids. Work would begin in late March or early April, depending upon the weather.

Phase one of the project — which is expected to cost $1.1 million — will involve exterior repairs to the building’s brickwork and facade, replacement of windows and the roof, and a complete clean-up of mold, bird droppings and asbestos. When work begins next spring, the building will essentially be gutted.

Phase one is still scheduled for completion by November 2006.

Phase two will focus on developing the interior of the building as the learning center’s new base of operations.

In addition to the state grant, other money for phase one will come from a fund established with The Portland Foundation by an anonymous donor in 1999, from a $100,000 grant by the foundation and from other donations which have been received.

Phase two is expected to cost about $2 million, and an additional $500,000 will be raised to provide for an endowment.

While eager to see the work get started, Inman said the revised timetable doesn’t pose any significant problems.

“It does give us more time to raise money for phase two,” he said. Architects have said that another winter shouldn’t be a major issue. “They’re not anticipating any further structural problems.” Plaster in the building continues to deteriorate and fall, but it’s scheduled to be removed and replaced. The building is primarily constructed of concrete and steel.[[In-content Ad]]