Accident pushes back City Hall move-in
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ELKINS -- The anticipated move-in date for Elkins City Hall has been postponed until September after an equipment accident damaged the front of the building this week, officials report.
During Elkins City Council's Thursday night meeting, City Operations Manager Michael Kesecker reported that, between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Wednesday, a hydraulic lift used by the masonry company working on City Hall had malfunctioned and caused damage to the building.
"When it malfunctioned, it caught part of the concrete barrier rail, for lack of a better word, on top of City Hall and pulled it off into Davis Avenue," Kesecker told Council. "Unfortunately, when it (the concrete) hit the ground, it hit the granite steps in front of the main entrance and damaged those as well."
No one was injured in the incident, Kesecker said. Elkins Police Department Captain Ronald Bell said he and other officers heard the concrete railing hit the ground from inside City Hall.
Kesecker stated that, for safety reasons, officials will be pushing back the planned move-in date for City Hall by 10 to 14 days, to around Sept. 15. The initial planned move-in date was Aug. 31.
“The only reason why we’re thinking it’s going to delay (moving in) is, with all the work being done on the top of the building, there’s still pieces of concrete up there that are still (loose),” Kesecker said. “We don’t want anyone around the building when the company comes in and starts removing those off.”
Elkins City Hall has been closed for restoration and recovery work since Aug. 31, 2024, after a sewage overflow incident flooded the building's basement and first floor, including the Elkins Police Department. The Elkins Police Department returned to City Hall in June.
Kesecker explained that it could take three to four months before the concrete barrier rail and the steps are fully fixed. In the meantime, the City will be following OSHA guidelines and installing a temporary railing around the top of City Hall. A concrete expert will also be coming on site to inspect the entire railing to ensure there was no further structural damage from the incident.
Due to the incident being an accident that was not on the City’s part, Kesecker said no money will be coming out of the City’s pockets or the renovation project’s budget to fix the situation.
It was also noted that, had the City not entered into an agreement with Mountain Valley Bank for financing the renovation project, they would be “in a complete pickle right now” with the USDA. Under the USDA’s financing, Elkins City Hall would have had to be reopened by Aug. 31 or else the City would not receive funding for the project.
On June 11, council members voted in favor of Resolution 1931, which accepted and approved “a proposal from Mountain Valley Bank for financing of the City Hall renovation project.” The bank's financing for the project includes a principal amount of $4,108,000, a term of 32 years and a fixed interest rate of 4.75 percent.
After the meeting, Kesecker explained that, even without a strict deadline from Mountain Valley Bank, the City had still planned to reopen by Aug. 31, until this incident occurred.
“We’re just really thankful no one got hurt,” Kesecker told The Inter-Mountain after the meeting. “Because it could have been a disaster… it could have been far worse… the deadline is not as important as our safety, and we’re not losing any funding on it.”