Since being sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2022, Mayor Paul Choate has initiated several projects to update and improve the appearance and functionality of City Hall.
Less than a week into his four-year term, Choate spearheaded projects to deep clean, prime, paint and remove nearly five-decade-old wood paneling from office space in City Hall.
He also rearranged and moved offices and posted easy-to-read signs outside office doors to point visitors in the right direction on the ground floor of the nearly 100-year-old municipal building.
The mayor has also purchased new chairs for the Council Chamber.
Old audience chairs that had served the chamber for several decades and had grown rickety were replaced last summer with attractive blue chairs with cushioned backs and padded seats.
During an El Dorado City Council meeting last week, several council members tested out new, wheeled office chairs that replaced wooden, stationary chairs that were creaky and wobbly and believed to have been in the Council Chamber since at least the 1970s.
Choate has also said that he is working with other city officials on ideas to modernize and refresh the Council Chamber and look into the feasibility of repairing the elevator, which has been inoperable for a number of years.
Roof replacement
However, this week, construction crews are getting around to a major undertaking that is also Choate’s check list for City Hall.
On Monday, Choate shared an email from local architect Michael Rogers, of Michael Rogers Designs, LLC.
Rogers wrote that Little Rock contractor Shields & Associates were expected to deliver construction materials and equipment onsite Monday.
By early afternoon, the materials were taking up space in the north parking lot of City Hall, with a dumpster taking up additional space nearby in the adjacent parking lot behind City Hall.
Rogers said work on the project is expected to begin today.
“You can tell by the materials on the ground out there that this building has a huge roof,” Choate said.
“The north parking lot is totally covered by materials and the adjacent parking lot has got a dumpster on it, so it’s going to eat some parking space up.”
Last year, Choate said that sealing up leaks in and water-proofing the roof of City Hall was one of the projects that was on his radar.
The roof has been leaking for several years.
Choate and Robert Edmonds, director of public works, said the roof has been patched a number of times.
However, the leaks worsened.
In 2023, ceiling tiles fell in the second-floor conference room on the south side of the building and interior sheet rock was damaged due to ongoing water infiltration.
Choate said a contractor again patched the roof and replaced the tiles.
“On the other side, you’ve got the fire department with buckets on top of file cabinets and bookshelves to catch dripping water,” said Choate.
The administrative offices of the El Dorado Fire Department are also located on the second floor of City Hall.
Buckets and yellow wet floor signs have also often seen on the landing at the top of the stairs on the second floor when as water leaked into the building on rainy days.
The damage and condition of the roof were subsequently inspected and Choate reached out to the Arkansas Municipal League, through whom the city holds property insurance on City Hall and other municipal properties.
“So, I filed a claim and they sent an adjustor and they determined there was enough damage to require a roof replacement,” said Choate.
“I think it’s been right at 20 years since that roof was last replaced and there have been problems with it leaking for some time,” he continued. “I don’t know how far back the damage goes but it was a sufficient enough amount of damage that the municipal league property insurance had no problem taking ownership of the claim.”
The roof replacement project was initially bid in mid-2023 but Choate said bids that were submitted then “were unacceptable.”
The project was rebid and opened up statewide. Bid tabs were opened last November.
“This time, we had a contractor who came in with a much more reasonable price,” said Choate.
The work will entail water-proofing the brick work, new metal flashing that covers the top of the roof and installing a new membrane roof, Edmonds explained.
The budget for the project is $180,000, with the city kicking in $28,000 from its capital outlay budget.
The $28,000 includes a $10,000 insurance deductible and approximately $18,000 to upgrade a slope on the roof — work that will allow water to drain off the roof faster, said Choate.
He said the insurance policy will not cover the work on the slope.
A notice to proceed was issued Monday for the contractor and the job is expected to be completed by March 15, weather permitting, Edmonds said.
“Hopefully, it’ll take less than the 45-day window we’ve got in the contract,” said Choate. “Sounds like they’re already up on the roof doing some work today.”
In the meantime, Rogers said he has communicated to Shields & Associates the importance of keeping access clear to the rear door of City Hall.
He also said that he has requested a daily schedule from the contractor and will keep city officials and City Hall staff updated on the project and any changes.