As work continues at water-damaged City Hall, Highland officials try to pin down costs

A year after a burst pipe caused significant damage to Highland City Hall, the renovation and restoration is coming along.

In late December 2022, a pipe burst during a severe cold snap and caused significant damage. A lengthy delay before a response company could bring in industrial dryers and dehumidifiers exacerbated the damage, which required demolition of the interior of at least half the building.

City leaders opted to take the opportunity to make some improvements and modifications that had long been planned. That includes replacing a 40-year-old roof and a new sound system for the council chambers, among others.

For the last year, while City Hall has been in renovations, council meetings have been held at the Highland Senior Center and city government is based in the Highland Public Safety Building. City Manager Chris Conrad has been working out of the fire chief’s office, while the chief works in the sleep room for the EMTs.

In September, the main area for city workers was framed in and drywall was going up. By Christmas the new HVAC system was delivered and set, so the crew can open the roof to install dormers to fit the ductwork, Conrad said.

The offices are being painted on the east side while plastering is done on the west side, Conrad said, and the new foyer is being framed.

“City staff are designing a new back parking lot layout that will include a better drive-up night drop, and that work will be done by the city,” Conrad said.

At its December meeting, the council approved a joint purchase agreement to buy through the active state joint purchasing contract list. “They have pre-negotiated government pricing, so this allows us to choose the furniture a la carte,” Conrad said. The total amount for the furniture will be presented to the council at a later date.

The renovation contractor is Korte Luitjohan for a total of $1.3 million, which did not include the furniture or council chambers improvements.

“We are working on a change order that will go before the council once it is designed for the chambers, but that part of the project is not going to be significant,” Conrad said. “We’re really just trying to fix the sound issues and update the council chambers.”

Insurance is covering much of the cost of the damage, but the total amount won’t be known until the furniture purchase is complete, Conrad said.

“We already agreed on what was damaged and what needs to be replaced, but they won’t pay us for some of those items until we buy them, so it’s still an open claim,” he said.