The Hartford City Council is moving ahead with demolition plans for City Hall.
Following a special meeting last week, the City Council approved the low bid from Leiser Excavating at nearly $67,000 for the work. Mayor Kenny Hamman tells KVOE News the building can be physically saved, but it’s financially impractical to do that — adding “the bones are tired of the building.”
Hamman says the city’s insurance company is covering all the demolition costs. Work is beginning soon, but there are still a few things to handle before demolition can start.
A windstorm peeled part of the roof off the structure on July 4. The storm also led to cracking of several support beams, and Hamman says walls are “giving way” and the upstairs has soft spots in the floor. Hamman says Leiser will install a deadman wall soon so walls don’t fall onto a bank nearby. Demolition could be a 4-day process, well ahead of the start of school Aug 19.
Hamman says the City Council would like to build new at the current address, but there are other options nearby. City operations are taking place in the new Community Center until further notice.
