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WILKES-BARRE — A contractor’s misstep delayed the removal of the exterior fire escape at City Hall until the weekend, City Administrator Rick Gazenski said.
Work has been put off for a week so the contractor, Stell Enterprises of Plains Township, can get a higher lift to reach the top of the stairs that have been declared unsafe to use in an emergency, Gazenski said Monday.
The job was originally scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, with Labor Day, when City Hall was closed, as an added day if needed.
“Saturday morning they’re coming back,” Gazenski said.
The city hired Stell at a cost of $14,500. The work fell under the thresholds of $18,500 for bidding and $20,000 for city council’s approval, Gazenski said. The cost of the project will not increase because of the contractor’s mistake, he said.
The stability of the escape was discussed in a safety meeting more than a month ago and as a result Gazenski, a former insurance executive, ordered that signs be placed on the windows warning people not to use the exterior stairs during an emergency.
Gazenski also directed Butch Frati, the city’s Director of Operations, to research the matter. The city received reports from BHW Construction Consultation Services Inc. in Plains Township and George M. Albert, P.E. LLC of Wilkes-Barre that said the fire escape was unsafe. The decision on whether to remove or reinforce them to make them structurally sound was left with the city.
“It’ll come down,” Gazenski said.
There are two stairwells in the City Hall that can be used by people on the four floors in case of an emergency. But if a fire broke out on a lower floor, smoke could travel up the stairwell, the BHW report said. The city could contain the smoke by installing a glass enclosure or manage it by installing mechanical equipment, the report said.
Gazenski said City Hall is safe, but the city will have to look into how it would address the concerns brought up in the report.