The city is moving ahead with three large building projects totaling an estimated $1.55 million for a new roof for the Fitz Henry Lane House, a new DPW garage roof, and stair tread and flooring resurfacing at Gloucester High.
Gloucester is doing so amid what has been tight fiscal times this spring given recent concerns about the school’s $2.1 million budget gap and the corresponding need for staff reductions.
The City Council at it most recent meeting approved spending an estimated:
$600,000 to replace the more than 40-year-old leaky roof on the Public Works utility garage that has made it unfit for daily use.
$350,000 to replace the roof, three doors and 24 windows of the Fitz Henry Lane House on Harbor Loop.
$600,000 for flooring and stair tread resurfacing at Gloucester High.
“The existing corridor rubber flooring and rubber stair tread and risers are showing wear and, in some instances, have become a potential tripping hazard for occupants,” read an April 4 memo from city assistant chief financial officer Conor MacCorkle to Mayor Greg Verga outlining the three supplemental appropriation requests.
By votes of 6-0, with three councilors absent, the council approved all three requests April 23, with the money coming from the city’s Building Maintenance Stabilization fund. Councilors at first spoke about the need to replace the leaky garage roof.
“I just want to make it very clear,” Councilor at-Large Jason Grow said, “because these are looking like very big numbers and people are going to be asking why we are spending this money. These are coming out of stabilization funds specifically for building maintenance which is money that we have set aside specifically for the purpose of exactly what we are appropriating it for.”
A recent lengthy presentation by Public Works Director Michael Hale put the projects “on the top of the priority pile”, said Ward 1 Councilor Scott Memhard, who chairs the council’s Budget and Finance Standing Committee that recommended the requested funding.
The money cannot be used for operating expenses, Councilor at-Large Jeff Worthley said. So in the long run these kinds of projects save the city money.
“It would be great if we could just move money in different places to solve other problems but this is not eligible for that,” he said.
Well over a year ago, the council got a letter from Public Works employees regarding their working conditions and that they have moved operations out of this building, Council President Tony Gross said.
“This is an asset that we need to maintain because I don’t see us in the near future building a new DPW,” he said.
Councilors discussed the need to replace the roof of the home of noted 19th century marine artist Fitz Henry Lane. The artist in the fall of 1849 purchased property on Duncan’s Point overlooking the harbor where he would build the granite house and studio, according to the website of the Cape Ann Museum, where many of his works are preserved and on display.
“This has been on the to-do list for a while,” Memhard said. The roof would be replaced with architectural-grade shingles, he said.
The city building maintenance money is being bolstered by $100,000 in Community Preservation Act funding approved a couple of years ago to accomplish this project. Memhard said the project should go quickly, as the city was aware of tourist activity around the historic house and Harbor Loop in the summer. There would be some disruption to public access during the project, he said.
Councilors also discussed the large cost of the Gloucester High flooring and stair tread resurfacing project.
“Again,” Memhard said of the stairwell retreading, “DPW Director Mike Hale expressed some dismay at the extent of the cost of this.”
“It’s due to deterioration and heavy use by many feet over quite a few years,” he said.
The project involves replacing existing flooring as well, Gross said.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.