METHUEN — Work will begin Thursday to repair a section of wall outside the Searles Building, 41 Pleasant St.
The contractor started bringing in equipment and staging Tuesday and the construction will temporarily impact parking and stairway access at City Hall.
The project is being completed by Stone & Garden Solutions of Everett, which the city had an existing contract with to make repairs to stone walls in the parking lot area, according to Mayor D.J. Beauregard.
The existing contract was for $93,731.25 and the new work will be facilitated through a $22,000 change order.
The condition of the wall had been the subject of concern from the community.
Board member of the Historical Society John Hadley said the wall was in “unacceptable condition” at a recent City Council meeting.
“The crumbling granite wall out front didn’t happen overnight,” he said. “That wall has been bulging for years and years.”
He said the city appeared to follow a policy of “deferred maintenance.” Hadley said the situation was critical with one block having already fallen out.
“Every time you come to this building that wall gets worse and worse,” added former Mayor Sharon Pollard. “The wall out here is the retaining wall for this building.”
She added the wall could deteriorate to a level where City Hall is no longer habitable.
Access to the work site, including a portion of the upper parking area and nearby stairway, will be temporarily closed, said Beauregard. If the parking lot is full, additional spots for employees and residents are available on Vine Street and behind the Tenney Gatehouse.
City Hall was built in 1904 by the city’s wealthy benefactor and interior designer Edward F. Searles and was intended to serve as a high school. The building was used for educational purposes until it was sold around 1983, only to be bought back about a decade later to serve as City Hall.