More than $84,000 Repair and Maintenance Work Begins at Benedum Civic Center
By Julie Perine on October 25, 2019 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
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Back in August, City Council approved an $84,000-plus capital reserve budget revision for maintenance and repair of the Benedum Civic Center.
That work, being done by Underwood General Builders, Inc., has begun.
“They’ve started ripping the roof off the little porch that you walk under to get into the building, which was leaking,” said Parks and Recreation Director Joe Shuttleworth. “And they’ve started to take down some railings and are replacing them.”
The work encompasses various projects identified years back as areas of concern, Shuttleworth said.
“The front porch areas all have original wood which catches a lot of water and the upper porch has become spongy,” he said. “The upper porch is rotting and needs replaced.”
Shuttleworth said funds had been placed into capital reserve to begin replacing some of those areas and since it has been discovered that the roof of the Civic Center entrance had started to leak.
“So, we’ve piggybacked onto that contract to have that section of roof replaced, as well,” he said.
A portion of the work is decorative, including updated trim work. Some damaged wood will be replaced by materials that have better longevity and are easier to clean and maintain.
"We're putting up PVC AZEK trim and putting up new standing seam roof in the bottom part," said Jason Shields of Underwood General Builders. "There will be all new hand rails and posts columns and all three porches will have new beam socket ceilings and can lights."
Shuttleworth reassured that the iconic, historical look of the Civic Center will not be jeopardized.
The work will be completed well ahead of Light Up Night, scheduled for Dec. 5.
“It should only take a couple weeks to do everything,” Shuttleworth said.
