Water damage at Meredith Community Center relocates meetings, cancels Altrusa dinners

MEREDITH — Frigid winter temperatures did a number on the pipes at the Meredith Community Center in December, with a burst causing water damage that led to meetings being relocated, as repairs are made this month.

“We had some damage, and we have basically shut the entire kitchen down, but part of the damage got into the community meeting room,” Recreation Director Krystal Alpers said, referring to the room where the selectboard typically meetings every other Monday.

Town Manager Judie Milner said at the March 30 selectboard meeting that work will be done throughout April to make repairs from damage that stems from cold weather in early December.

“We will be in the public library for our next two meetings,” Milner said during selectboard meetings on April 13, and 27.

The issue started before winter began. The pipes burst in the ceiling of the community center before the Dec. 8 selectboard meeting, and the leak led to the relocation of the meeting to the Humiston Building that evening.

“We had some issues with the boiler system, which caused domestic water to get into the sprinkler, and push the glycol out, so there wasn’t enough in the pipes causing it to freeze,” Alpers said.

Alpers said the meeting room has been OK to use aside from the initial cleanup in the days following the pipe break. Some water stains have been visible in the ceiling, but no further meetings were canceled as a result, and there was just the one relocation.

However, Alpers said the ceiling tiles and the insulation in the community center were damaged and need to be replaced, along with the flooring in both the meeting room and the kitchen. The bathroom was also damaged, including the wall, floors, and the drywall.

The repairs are covered by town insurance, and their provider, Primex, set the town up with Servpro as the general contractor to outsource the work.

“We wish it was a quicker process, but we hope to be up and running by the end of the month, if not sooner,” Alpers said.

The water damage not only led to the shuffling of meeting locations, but also resulted in community meals served by Altrusa International being indefinitely canceled since they cannot use the kitchen. Alpers said if they cannot get back into the community center this month, the hope is to set up a mobile meal, but details are still being sorted out. Normally, the organization offers a free community dinner at the community center one Wednesday a month.

Some of the smaller committee meetings normally held in the community center will be moved to the arts and crafts room, but Alpers said some, like the zoning board of adjustments, were too large for that space.

The zoning board has a long agenda on Thursday, April 9, and a larger crowd is expected due to the volume. The meeting will be moved to the First Congregational Church on Highland Street, with a 6:30 p.m. start.

The upcoming selectboard meetings on Mondays, April 13 and April 27, will be held at the Meredith Public Library, at 6 p.m.