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For the Week of November 25, 2013 - Final Update on Municipal Center Project

As part of an ongoing commitment to maintain City owned facilities, last year, the Public Services Division completed an exterior conditions analysis of the Municipal Building at 2 E. Main Street. The analysis was performed by a local architectural-construction firm, the Prairie Forge Group. This analysis was a study of the building’s exterior shell and resulted in identifying key deficiencies that required repairs to keep the structure weather-tight. In August of 2012, City Council approved Prairie Forge to move forward with the design, specification writing, construction letting and construction administration of the required repairs and modifications identified in the analysis.

The maintenance project was completed with the intention of keeping the building weather-tight for years to come and included a new roof, brick repairs, new windows, stone repairs and painting projects. The roofing section included the removal and replacement of various roof systems on the building and the reinstallation of 11 different roof surfaces. Mechanical units were removed, existing roof material was collected on the ground, new deck boards were placed where needed, new roof systems were installed and cap flashings were placed on parapet walls. Selective brick replacement and repair was isolated to the east elevations on Old City Hall (elevation along Riverside Drive) and the “blonde” brick elevation adjacent to the checkerboard parking lot. Scaffolding was installed, bricks were removed/ replaced and mortar joints were ground out and tuck-pointed. All of the windows along the Old City Hall elevation, including windows to Economic Development, Community Development, Building Department and Arts Council have been removed and replaced, along with several doors in other areas of the building. Some additional work included various painting projects, replacement of the louvers on the cupola, soffit repair all around the overhang of the building (on the plaza along the river) and EIFS (stucco) repairs, patching and painting.

A complete overhaul of the lighting systems on the Municipal Center building, and in the surrounding landscape planters is currently underway. New LED lights are being installed in the landscape planters, under the building's overhang, and on the roof to provide up-to-date lighting technologies and accent this great asset to the City of St. Charles. After the lighting stage is finished, near the end of December, this project will be substantially complete.

created Nov 26, 2013 updated Nov 26, 2013