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BY ROD HANSEN
The sights and sounds of construction have figured prominently on both sides of Main Street lately, with improvement projects at Town Hall and the town common wrapping up as the warm weather sets in.
The Town Hall construction project involves replacing the wooden pillars at the building’s front and rear entrances with new fiberglass columns.
Across the street at the town common, an older system of fountains that had been subject to maintenance and vandalism problems is being replaced by a newer system, said the contractor responsible for the project.
Replacement of the Town Hall pillars is being performed by W. Ringe Builders of Swanzey, said Town Finance Director Janice O’Connell.
The older pillars had suffered decay due to weather such as snow and rain, as well as termite damage, O’Connell said.
The cost of replacing the pillars is $19,600, which is being financed through the Mildred Stark Trust Fund for Town Hall renovations and repair, O’Connell said.
A graduate of Goffstown High School and longtime resident, Mildred Stark’s contributions to the town facilitated construction of the town’s municipal building. The day of the building’s dedication, June 21, 1970, was designated as Mildred Stark Day, and the main downstairs meeting room at Town Hall bears her name.
To spend money from Stark’s Town Hall Renovation Trust Fund, the town needs to first seek approval from the trustees of the trust funds and then grant the project to the most qualified bidder, O’Connell said.
Trustees of the trust funds approved the use of the money from the Mildred Stark Trust Fund in October of last year, while selectmen awarded the project to W. Ringe Builders at their meeting of Dec. 11, 2006.
"W. Ringe Builders came with great recommendations, and they have a vast amount of experience with projects like
this," O’Connell said, noting the company had done similar work with court houses and libraries in the past.
Part of the bid price includes W. Ringe Builders supplying the pillars for the project, which themselves had to be approved based on the weight of load they could support, O’Connell said.
W. Ringe Builders began work on the project the week of April 9, and finished earlier this week, O’Connnell said.
On the town common, the sound of heavy equipment accompanies replacement of the original stone and granite three-fountain system with a new, two-fountain system in the town’s main gathering area.
The Rynearson Company Inc., is the local landscape design and building firm handling the construction with assistance from the town’s Department of Public Works, said company president Mark
Rynearson.
"The original fountain system was getting a little hard to maintain, and we were seeing some problems with
vandalism," said Rynearson, a member of the Town Common Oversight Committee. The original fountains did not run last year because of these problems.
Replacing the fountain has also involved removing some of the bricks local residents and organizations purchased to finance the town common renovation project of 1999. Those bricks will be replaced following the installation of the new fountains, Rynearson said.
A trust fund established through the sale of those bricks will also pay for the project’s cost, which Parks and Recreation Director David French estimated at $1,500.
The original pumps required replacement largely due to grit and stone from the road getting into the pumping areas, French said. Rynearson’s new design will prevent such problems in the future, he said.
Fountain renovations have been a topic of discussion for several years and French said he expects the project to be completed within the next two weeks.
"I think it’s great that Mark has stepped up and done this. The town common is a great source of pride for the community, but like anything else it does take time, money and energy to maintain
it," French said.
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