ECONOMIC ACTIVITY REPORT
April, 2008
Other than gathering economic development information for Mayor and Council, landlord issues at the Maynesboro Building has taken most of my time for the past month and a half.
Soon after my return and when there was still snow on the ground and roofs, I was informed that we had a few leaks on the Isaacson side of the Maynesboro Building. At that point and time it was believed that damage was done to the roof when the snow had been removed during winter. Seeing that there was still snow on the roof and although it was melting, it would be a week or two before an inspection could determine what the cause of the leaks might be. In mid April, Lucien Langlois of Hill Street Construction and I inspected the roof, but could not find the source of the leaks on the gravel covered roof. Lucien suspected that the leaks might be related to the roof draining system and that he would return to remove some of the gravel and do a close inspection of the roof drains. A couple weeks later
I received a call from Lucien who informed me that he had found leaks at the roof drains as suspected and that he believed that it had nothing to do with the snow removal. He explained that the leaks were at the point where the rubber roofing material meets the roof drain system and where the sealing material had separated allowing water to leak past the drains. The age of the material plus the constant freezing and thawing action of the water was more than likely the cause of the problem. The leaks had caused ceiling tiles in the Isaacson space to become saturated and in some instances, fell down from the weight of the water. Isaacson had a supply of ceiling tiles from when they moved into the building and Lucien replaced the damaged tiles.
Possibly related to the roof leak issue, I received a call from Isaacson reporting that some of the office staff reported coming down with allergy type symptoms after a few minutes of work. Moe asked if BIDPA had ever done any air quality testing and I had no knowledge that any such testing had taken place. Isaacson ordered an air testing kit and a report of the test as well as a communication from Steve Griffin will be available at the May 28th BIDPA meeting. It’s my opinion that the roof had been leaking for quite a while and was not noticed until the ceiling tiles were saturated. This condition is perfect for the growth of mold and I suggested to Steve that he test the air in a month to see if the levels have gone down to acceptable levels.
Also related to the roof and the removal of snow, was the discovery that while throwing the snow off the roof, chunks of ice/snow had knocked the 480V PSNH meter and conduit off the building. This required that the power be turned off so that the meter could be repaired and the conduit (BIDPA property) also be replaced. This repair caused Isaacson to shut operations down for a period of three hours and Isaacson management is questioning who is responsible for the cost of down time and repairs. As of now, I haven’t been given any numbers, but I would like to know how the BIDPA Board wishes to deal with the issue.
During a routine visit to the Maynesboro Building another issue was brought to my attention. The heavy volume of truck activity around the south and westerly side of the building by Isaacson Steel and Sabbow & Company is forcing trucks to travel as well as park on sections of the property that is not paved. This activity creates a muddy mess during spring thaw as well as during rain storms. I inspected the driveway and parking area with the tenants and came to the conclusion (recommend) that, BIDPA pave a 10 foot strip along the westerly side of the building as well as a 40’X50’ space on the southerly side of the building. I will have more details on the matter at the BIDPA meeting.
Norman Charest
Economic Development Director
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