Mayor updates committee on facilities plan; City Hall closed after boiler natural‑gas leak, detectors to be upgraded

The Finance Committee received an update on facilities management and a City Hall incident on Jan. 28. The mayor said he is finalizing an internal facilities plan and requested time to refine it before returning Item 11728 to the committee. He also detailed a two‑day closure of City Hall after elevated carbon‑monoxide readings traced to a cracked boiler in Perry Auditorium and a related malfunction in the main building’s boiler room.

Unitil, Royal Steam and Memorial Steam technicians, with the city’s plumbing and gas inspector (Inspector Ash) and Commissioner McDonald overseeing repairs, found and repaired the defective boiler and Unitil temporarily red‑tagged the equipment. The mayor said the tags have since been removed and City Hall would reopen the following day. He acknowledged the building had only one carbon‑monoxide detector (in the boiler room) and heat detectors rather than broad smoke detectors; inspector Ash has ordered combination carbon‑monoxide/smoke detectors that comply with plumbing and gas code, and the city will pursue a wired system that automatically notifies the fire department in the longer term.

Committee members asked about the risk of frozen pipes and other impacts; the mayor said backup boilers and continuous circulators prevented freezing and that staff do not expect additional freeze damage. The chair will keep the facilities item on the committee’s agenda and the mayor will present a full facilities plan when ready.