The old Borough Hall building, leased from Safety First and now the proposed future headquarters of a planned part-time police department, was found to be structurally sound following an inspection this afternoon.
Mr. Joseph Hoffman, from Barry Isett & Associates performed the inspection. Members of the Safety Committee, our Borough Manager, and our Police Consultant, Mr. Robert Mahady, were present during the inspection of the building.
There is no exposed asbestos and none was discovered. Ceiling tiles that were suspect were found to be those made during the post-asbestos era and still offered in home improvement centers, such as Home Depot.
The floor joists are solid and not in risk of collapse. Removal and replacement of floor tiles will not be a problem, as well.
The only area that is of minor concern is a corner of the building, where the chimney is located. An old leak that existed may require the adding of a couple of “sister” joists to strengthen those that saw some water damage, along with the removal of some plaster board that sustained damage from the leak.
While the building will need to be brought up to code on a number of items including exit signs and ADA requirements for an existing building, the cost and scope of repairs will be far less than those raised by a resident at a previous Council meeting.
Mayor-elect Dan DePaul and Police Consultant Robert Mahady will be working to obtain estimates for money needed for updating the building. Those estimates will be presented to Council at a future Council meeting when they are ready.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
