Springfield Community Center to reopen next week after repairs

If everything goes right, the Springfield Community Center will reopen late next week.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150711/NEWS02/707119933

Construction workers spread gravel before the final sidewalk installation is complete at the Springfield Community Center. Photo: PHOTO BY LEN EMERYPublished July 11, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Springfield Community Center to reopen next week after repairs By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — If everything goes right, the Springfield Community Center will reopen late next week. Town Manager Tom Yennerell said Friday that workers were putting down the gravel base for the new sidewalk in front of the building Friday. If the weather holds, concrete for the new sidewalk will be poured Monday and Tuesday, he said. And assuming that goes well, the building will reopen next Thursday, he said. He said the foundation repairs done to the building had been completed. “They did an excellent job. It’s tough doing that kind of work, restoring a building,” said Yennerell, referring to All Seasons Construction, the firm selected earlier in the year to do the work. “I’m very impressed.” The work included repairing the foundation pilasters on the Main Street side of the building, as well as rebuilding the brick foundation along the sidewalk. All Seasons Construction signed a contract worth $93,712 with the town, and Yennerell said the project would not exceed the contract amount, despite the extra time needed to complete the project. The building was originally expected to reopen July 1. Yennerell said the town plans on pursuing a state planning grant to create a master plan for the building, which has seen better days. The building is more than 100 years old, and started its life as one of the early locations of the Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Co. The building then was converted into a club for executives and managers in the town’s machine tool industry, eventually being given to the town in the 1930s. The building’s closure has had a big impact on the Springfield Senior Center, which is located on the south end of the building. The senior center’s ceramics program was located in the basement of the building, which is where the foundation problem first was discovered. The building is also home to the town’s parks and recreation department, which has held its activities outside the building since it was closed June 1 for the work.