Service department getting facelift
City investing in buildings to prolong useful life
Stjepan “Stipo” Jandric, head of maintenance for the city, plasters a wall after removing paneling in the main office area of the service center. Photo by JAIME ANTON
NORTH ROYALTON – The city is hammering away little by little at upgrades to its municipal buildings.
Last year, the police station and the North Royalton Family YMCA, a building that is city owned, both received new roofs. Prior to these projects, the living quarters at the firehouse were upgraded.
In 2014, the former State Road library, also city owned, was renovated into the new city hall.
Now the focus lies on the service center, which also houses building, engineering and community development.
This building is the most visited of all the municipal sites because of the number of permits issued there, so since it has the most contact with the public, city officials wanted to make sure it is more modern and inviting.
The first step the past few years has been to review the thousands of old files and convert the documents that are required to be kept into electronic format, which has freed up physical space in the office.
“That effort is still ongoing,” Community Development Director Tom Jordan said. “We had file cabinets stacked on top of file cabinets with ladders to get to them.”
Existing personnel work on this project during off-peak periods of the day and year, particularly during the winter when construction and permit issuances slow down significantly.
Just as the old files needed TLC, so has the office itself which looked aged with threadbare carpeting tacked down at the seams by duct tape in some places and ‘70s wood paneling on walls. Before it served as the service center, it was a business that kept an interior storage area in what is now the main area of the office.
When that enclosure was removed, it revealed gaps in the flooring which had to be addressed.
As offices are vacated, they are renovated before being occupied again. So far two offices have been redone with new carpeting, paint and insulation. One wall has been lined with new cabinetry for storage, replacing the stacked filing cabinets, and the kitchen area was upgraded, all in the main open area of the building visible to guests. The paneling is being removed systematically, and the walls are being insulated, plastered and painted.
The next step will be to address the rest of the flooring with a laminate similar to council chambers in city hall and then reconfigure cubicles along the new floor layout.
The majority of the work has been done in-house, saving tens of thousands of dollars, Jordan said. Construction, without any new office furniture, has cost less than $10,000 so far.
“We are in the process of looking for a floor installer but demolition and all the plaster, painting and construction of walls has been done in-house with the help of the service department and Stjepan "Stipo" Jandric, head of maintenance,” Jordan said.
The goal is to finish up work sometime in the spring.
At some point down the road, the building’s roof will have to be addressed.
Mayor Bob Stefanik said the city must invest in its buildings to keep them viable and in good condition.
“We strive to maintain the integrity of our current buildings and grounds in an effort to prolong the useful life of the structures,” he said. “We are taking care of the buildings and are not letting them get to the point of no return.”
Last year, the police station and the North Royalton Family YMCA, a building that is city owned, both received new roofs. Prior to these projects, the living quarters at the firehouse were upgraded.
In 2014, the former State Road library, also city owned, was renovated into the new city hall.
Now the focus lies on the service center, which also houses building, engineering and community development.
This building is the most visited of all the municipal sites because of the number of permits issued there, so since it has the most contact with the public, city officials wanted to make sure it is more modern and inviting.
The first step the past few years has been to review the thousands of old files and convert the documents that are required to be kept into electronic format, which has freed up physical space in the office.
“That effort is still ongoing,” Community Development Director Tom Jordan said. “We had file cabinets stacked on top of file cabinets with ladders to get to them.”
Existing personnel work on this project during off-peak periods of the day and year, particularly during the winter when construction and permit issuances slow down significantly.
Just as the old files needed TLC, so has the office itself which looked aged with threadbare carpeting tacked down at the seams by duct tape in some places and ‘70s wood paneling on walls. Before it served as the service center, it was a business that kept an interior storage area in what is now the main area of the office.
When that enclosure was removed, it revealed gaps in the flooring which had to be addressed.
As offices are vacated, they are renovated before being occupied again. So far two offices have been redone with new carpeting, paint and insulation. One wall has been lined with new cabinetry for storage, replacing the stacked filing cabinets, and the kitchen area was upgraded, all in the main open area of the building visible to guests. The paneling is being removed systematically, and the walls are being insulated, plastered and painted.
The next step will be to address the rest of the flooring with a laminate similar to council chambers in city hall and then reconfigure cubicles along the new floor layout.
The majority of the work has been done in-house, saving tens of thousands of dollars, Jordan said. Construction, without any new office furniture, has cost less than $10,000 so far.
“We are in the process of looking for a floor installer but demolition and all the plaster, painting and construction of walls has been done in-house with the help of the service department and Stjepan "Stipo" Jandric, head of maintenance,” Jordan said.
The goal is to finish up work sometime in the spring.
At some point down the road, the building’s roof will have to be addressed.
Mayor Bob Stefanik said the city must invest in its buildings to keep them viable and in good condition.
“We strive to maintain the integrity of our current buildings and grounds in an effort to prolong the useful life of the structures,” he said. “We are taking care of the buildings and are not letting them get to the point of no return.”