City consultant reports major progress on Elm and High Street parking garages

John Prince of Greenman Peterson (standing in for Tim Lomir) updated the Committee of Infrastructure on repair and renovation work at the Elm Street and High Street parking garages.

Prince said phase 1—primarily structural repairs—was about 80% complete and described work on overhead concrete, rebar repair, stainless-steel bracing and carbon-fiber reinforcement. He said drainage work and many lighting upgrades were complete; stairwell work was ongoing (Elm ~80% complete, High Street ~50% complete). "Phase 1, we're about 80% complete with all of the overhead repairs and the high level concrete repairs," Prince told the committee.

Prince outlined the schedule for subsequent work: final design for phase 2 (office renovation/expansion) is complete and construction is anticipated to begin around the first week of September, with phase 3 under contract and expected to start about the same time. He also recited budget-line figures as they appeared in the presentation packet: "the 11.1 that includes soft cost," followed by 2.8 for phase 2 and 1.1 for phase 3; the transcript did not specify units for those figures.

Committee members asked about useful life; Prince said the repairs should substantially extend service life but maintenance will continue. The chair asked the presenter to provide copies of the presentation for the minutes; Prince agreed.

Why it matters: The work addresses structural degradation and waterproofing that had begun to compromise the garages and aims to extend safe service life while improving lighting and drainage.

Next steps: Prince will provide materials for the minutes; staff will track phase-start timing and contract implementation with DPW.