MIFFLINBURG — Mifflinburg officials now have a clearer picture of what it’s going to cost to stabilize the borough building, but have yet to decide whether to repair or demolish the 150-year-old structure.
Three area contractors recently submitted bids ranging from $49,368 to $105,900 to repair the structurally unsound Chestnut Street building, which was deemed inhabitable in the spring. The lowest bid was submitted by Hepco Construction Inc., of Selinsgrove, but the council chose to have the borough’s building committee review the proposals instead of awarding a contract.
Beverly Hackenberg, council president, said officials haven’t decided whether to fix the building or tear it down.
Other bids were made by Zartman Construction Inc., of Northumberland, at $79,474 and by The Robert Feaster Corp., of Harrisburg, at $105,900. The building committee will review the bids and offer a recommendation for the next step, Hackenberg said.
Steve Benner, Mifflinburg’s project manager, said the scope of work to stabilize the building is much less than renovating it.
“Stabilizing it would basically allow us to take the yellow (police) tape down,” Benner said. “It would be replacing the larger beams and removing the falling brick (facade). To renovate would basically be giving it a complete face-lift.”
Another option for the borough would be to demolish the building and sell the property.
The council hired an architect in May to determine how much it would cost to stabilize the building. At the time, engineers said it would take about $75,000 to make the improvements. Another $2 million was estimated for renovation, according to officials.
The borough administrative office and police department were evicted in March by the Central Keystone Council of Governments, which performs code enforcement for the borough. The eviction took place after engineers from Coukart and Associates, of New Berlin, found several deficiencies, including wide cracks in walls and floors, as well as a twisted support beam. The engineering firm determined the building was at risk of collapsing.
Roughly 14 employees from the police department and borough office have since moved to the North Eighth Street building owned by Yorktowne, which the borough has been renting monthly for $4,000. The rent is being paid out of $155,000 the council saved for building renovations.
-- E-mail comments to jnorth@dailyitem.com
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