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Hiram halts work at 150 Oak Street after electrical inspection finds code issues
Summary
City project manager said contractor completed about 80% of renovation work at 150 Oak Street but electrical work was found substandard; city will secure equipment and contract new engineers and electricians to finish the job.
City of Hiram officials were updated that renovations at 150 Oak Street have been paused after building inspections uncovered electrical work that did not meet code. Cliff, the city’s project manager, told the council that roughly 80% of the contracted scope had been completed when inspectors found unsafe electrical connections and other life-safety issues.
Cliff said the city removed the subcontracted electrician and that a subsequent review with a county inspector confirmed the work was subpar. He told the council the city sent the contractor multiple certified notices asking the contractor and subcontractors to remove their tools and equipment and that, to date, materials and equipment remain on site despite the city’s request. Cliff said the city had documented and inventoried the tools and is moving them to a secure location so work can proceed.
Cliff said the city will obtain full electrical, mechanical and structural plans and pull permits with Paulding County’s building department, then hire a licensed electrician (not a subcontractor) and another contractor to complete finishing work. “When the inspector went in, looked in, went in the attic and saw wires twisted together, not in boxes, that just put put a halt on it,” Cliff said.
Staff said the building’s age (built before 1960) complicates work and that prior pro bono architectural drawings addressed aesthetic items but not the life‑safety corrections the county’s inspection highlighted. Cliff said the city will also install security cameras and new door locks once work is completed and then order furniture for occupancy. He did not provide a firm completion date and cautioned the council that costs and schedules are still being determined.
The update was presented as an operational briefing; no formal new contract award or final cost was recorded in the public transcript.
The council asked clarifying questions about the condition of the already completed work and whether the remainder of the second-floor work was acceptable. Cliff said the second floor was generally acceptable aside from the electrical deficiencies uncovered by inspection.
Staff emphasized the project’s life‑safety priority and said the city will comply with county code requirements before reopening or occupying the building.
