Parking garage to re-open in time for Pumpkin Fest

LACONIA — City Manager Scott Myers said yesterday that the repairs of the ramp leading to the middle deck of the parking garage are expected to be completed on Thursday and the parking spaces restored to the inventory on Friday.

Myers said that the preliminary estimated cost of the repairs falls between $80,000 and $120,000, which includes stripping the corroded sections of the exposed steel of lead paint and welding fresh steel to reinforce the weakened members of the structure. Since lead paint poses an environmental hazard, the residue was contained and vacuumed then placed in sealed drums and shipped to an appropriate disposal site, all of which added to the cost of the project.

Meanwhile, the assessment of the structural condition of the parking by Dubois & King, Inc., which was interrupted by the repair work, will resume. Myers said that the assessment will focus particularly on the section of the garage atop the commercial spaces on Main Street, where leaks have occurred in the past. He indicated that once the assessment is done and the extent of any further repairs is determined city officials will be able to consider the future of the structure.

Meanwhile, on Friday some two-hour parking spaces in the parking lot adjoining City Hall will be closed to enable electricians to lay the wiring necessary to support the vendors attending the Pumpkin Festival on Saturday. Myers said that the number of closed spaces should not present a major inconvenience and the 15-minute spaces will remain open.