Springfield Community Center set to undergo renovations

Nine pilasters (rectangular columns) located in the basement of the building will soon need to be replaced, due to the fact that some have begun to deteriorate.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/springfield-community-center-set-undergo-renovations

Springfield Community Center Set To Undergo Renovations Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 01/20/2015 - 4:13pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT -Almost all residents of Springfield and the surrounding area are familiar with the Springfield Community Center located at 139 Main Street. For many people, the Community Center offers a sanctuary of sorts. Whether it’s bowling in the basement, playing pool, utilizing the senior center in the building, or playing basketball in the gym, the Community Center has much to offer to people of all ages. In the near future, however, the Community Center will be undergoing some renovations. Nine pilasters (rectangular columns) located in the basement of the building will soon need to be replaced, due to the fact that some have begun to deteriorate. At this time, it’s unclear how long the renovations will take. “The pilasters are located on the front side, south end of the building,” Parks and Recreation Director Andy Bladyka said. “They all have some degree of deterioration, but some are worse than others. The deterioration came to our attention after taking a closer look at the pilasters.” Bladyka said that structural engineers were contacted in the beginning of December to assess the pilasters and what needed to be done in the building. Once it was discovered that the columns would need to be replaced, Bladyka began to develop a plan for renovations to begin. “Our plan is to replace the pilasters, and maintain the structural integrity of the building,” he said. “We’ve hired a structural engineer and have developed a plan to put in temporary supports in the very near future, and then eventually replace all the pilasters permanently.” Though some may think this seems like a lot of work, Bladyka said that by fixing the issues now, any future problems regarding the pilasters would be avoided. “The building is not compromised, and by fixing the pilasters, we’ll be avoiding any long-term problems,” he said. “Yes, there is a structural issue, but we’re dealing with it and addressing it.” Currently, there is only one room closed at the Community Center. The nine pilasters that need to be updated are all in the basement. Five pilasters are in the ceramics room, and the other four are in a maintenance room. The ceramics room, which hosts ceramics classes for senior citizens that utilize the senior center in the building, closed shortly after it was discovered that the pilasters would need to be replaced. “We decided to close the ceramics room because we weren’t sure how long the renovations would take, and we wanted everyone to be safe while this process was ongoing,” Bladyka said. “Everyone was contacted that uses the ceramics room after the structural engineer came in and were told that the room would be closing so that they could get their belongings out.” According to Senior Center Director Terri Emerson, 30 people take ceramics classes at the Community Center. “Right now the Ceramics Studio is the only program affected,” she said. “They were upset as many [people] like the time they spend in ceramic classes and to also visit with others who are creative like them.” Emerson said that those that participate in ceramics classes create beautiful work, and that although they are disappointed by the room’s closure, they remain excited about when it will re-open. “The members try to keep thinking positively that after the construction is completed they can get together and improve the area,” she said. “Paint works wonders and it has been years since the area has been painted. I am sure we can get volunteers to paint and fix up the ceramics area after the construction is finished.” Bladyka said that the ceramics room would be closed for the remainder of the construction. The public does not use the other room where the pilasters are located because it is a maintenance room. According to Bladyka, much of the deterioration of the pilasters is due to the age of the building. “This building was built in the 1880s and the pilasters hold a lot of weight,” he said. “They will be replaced from the floor up, and most of the deterioration is old age and road salt.” Though renovations have not yet begun, contractors have come into the Community Center to assess the site, Bladyka said. “We’ve had contractors come in and now we are waiting on bids from them,” he said. “The contractors will work with the structural engineers, and we should be getting bids in soon.” Bladyka said that the timing of the construction project is important because of the town budget. “The temporary repairs will go into this year’s budget [2014-2015] and the permanent repairs will go into the 2015-2016 town budget,” he said. “We aren’t sure of the cost yet, but we have been doing other things to improve the building as well. This past summer we replaced the fire escape and put in a whole new sprinkler system.” Bladyka said that it’s important for people to know that ongoing repairs to the Community Center are taking place because people don’t often realize how many community members take advantage of everything the building has to offer. “We’re trying to keep up the building and keep it safe for the community,” he said. “Between November and March, between 200 and 300 people use this building daily. It’s still a very busy building.” At this time, it’s still unknown if the Community Center will have to close for a day or two while the renovations are taking place, but Bladyka said that he will deal with that issue, should it arise. - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/springfield-community-center-set-undergo-renovations#sthash.NW9NT1xF.dpuf