Amherst Town Hall closed due to structural problems

AMHERST – Structural problems at the town’s 1820s-era town hall have forced Amherst officials to close the building until at least Friday. Repairs on the 1825 building were already planned to remedy the rot that has compromised the roof’s support system. But at an emergency meeting on Monday, selectmen, Town Administrator Jim O’Mara, Department of Public Works Director Bruce Berry and an architect decided that immediate work to shore up supports and lintels from the building’s basement to the second floor were needed, according to a release from the town. Employees have been given the option of staying in the building, staying home or working remotely while demolition work is done to buttress the roof’s supporting beams. Board members said it is fortunate the deficiencies were spotted before the brunt of winter hit. “Had this not been discovered today, the first snow fall of any significance would have surely put us out of business or worse yet, injured an employee or member of the public,” Dwight Brew said. Glenn Dodge, of Dodgeco, a New Boston architectural, design and engineering firm, was preparing the work on the building Nov. 9 and took pictures of the building, compared them to pictures taken in June and spotted additional shifting in parts of the building that prompted the emergency meeting on Monday, according to the release. The work to repair the building is already part of the town’s budget, but likely not to the extent that is apparently needed, according to Board of Selectmen Chairman Bruce Bowler. O’Mara met with employees Tuesday morning to explain the situation and said there’s plenty of work to be done while the building is closed to the public. “Jeans and sweatshirts will be the uniform of the day while the professionals perform the demolition necessary to expose the beams that will need to be buttressed,” O’Mara said. Joseph G. Cote can be reached at 594-6415 or jcote@nashuatelegraph.com.