Wayne City Hall gets repairs
Repairs to city hall moving forward
Wayne City Hall gets repairs Repairs to city hall moving forward Check out this story on HometownLife.com: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/westland/2014/09/21/wayne-city-hall-repairs/15888059/
LeAnne Rogers, hometownlife.com Published 12:00 a.m. ET Sept. 21, 2014 | Updated 12:07 a.m. ET Sept. 21, 2014
Wayne City Hall (Photo: LeAnne Rogers )
Insurance will cover repairs of the failed roof trusses at Wayne City Hall.
Council members voted last week to move ahead with the repairs, which are estimated to cost less than $10,000 with a $1,000 deductible from the city.
"We've been looking at the options about what to do with city hall," Wayne Mayor Al Haidous said. "It should be fixed. If we stay there, it needs to be safe. If we consolidate and need to sell it, it needs to be sold as a safe building."
The decision comes as council is again beginning to discuss consolidation of city buildings as part of addressing the general fund deficit. No decision has been made on moving city hall operations to another city building.
The council chambers have been closed since March after firefighters, who were investigating smoke from a burned motor, lifted ceiling tiles and spotted the broken trusses.
While council has been meeting at the Wayne Community Center, city offices remain open with the trusses supported by temporary poles.
Wayne City Hall, located on Wayne Road just north of Michigan Avenue, was constructed in the 1940s as a recreation building. The council chamber was part of a gymnasium/roller rink. The building was remodeled in 1988.
"If we fix it, the building is salable. The building is not salable now," Councilman David James said. "It's going to cost citizens, if we don't fix it."
The city insurer, the Municipal Risk Management Authority, will require a bidding process for the repairs.
"I suggest that we get on it yesterday. Winter is upon us. I hate to see us get hit with an ice storm. That's common in November," Councilwoman Susan Rowe said.
Due to the age of the building, Councilman James Hawley questioned whether a structural engineer was needed to design the roof.
"It was built in '43 and nothing is the same," he said.
The insurance company is working with a structural engineer, Department of Public Works Director Ramzi El-Gharib said.
"City Hall is open. It is a safe structure for people who work there. We have to get it back to prime condition — not with poles in the middle of the hallway and the council chambers," Councilman Albert Damitio said.
lrogers@hometownlife.com
Twitter: @LRogersObserver
Read or Share this story: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/westland/2014/09/21/wayne-city-hall-repairs/15888059/