Architect tells Shelbyville council city buildings need repairs; presents schematic options for new police and fire headquarters

Ginger Branch, an architect with TLM Associates, told the City of Shelbyville mayor and council April 29 that a completed facilities study of City Hall, Fire Station 2 and the Public Works compound found significant masonry, roofing, ADA and security problems and recommended phased repairs and prioritized budgets.

Branch said the study — delivered as a written report and a folder with slide notes — focused on building envelope items (masonry, roof terminations, exterior doors/windows), interior conditions (security and ADA access), and site drainage. Branch told the council that City Hall and Fire Station 2 have single-pane windows, masonry cracking at corners, gutter and roof-term issues that allow water intrusion, and interior spaces that do not meet ADA standards. She said the meeting-room access in City Hall includes a dead-end hallway and the building is not sprinklered.

The findings matter because water intrusion and missing control joints in brick veneer accelerate deterioration. “Brick veneer acts very similar to a pothole,” Branch said, and freeze–thaw cycles can create voids that…