Council hears report showing groundwater under Public Safety Building; seeks structural-engineer assessment

Consultants from the condition assessment reported that recent testing found groundwater very near the floor slab in the town's Public Safety Building and described visible cracks, interior floor separation and evidence of settlement. "It was about a foot and 0.5," the consultant said when describing the measured water level beneath the slab. Presenters also noted routine basement flooding and that earlier borings showed historically deeper groundwater.

Council members pressed for more definitive analysis and for accurate cost estimates. Participants in the meeting cited a prior property valuation near $1.3 million and estimated probable repair costs in the March assessment of roughly $2.4 million to $2.6 million, but consultants emphasized those numbers were preliminary and that work on soils, cores, and design would be required to refine costs. A consultant summarized likely repair steps would include relocating or reworking the stormwater pipe, pumping and drying soils, and possibly monitored remediation that could require one or more years of observation.

Because the condition-assessment report does not include a detailed repair design, council members requested the town manager to work with consultants to scope and price a structural-engineering investigation and to return with proposed tasks and cost estimates so the council can make an informed decision about repair versus constructing a new facility.