“We ran into some issues,” Mayor Butch Berry said Monday, referring to council’s plan to rehab and meet in the Aud basement. He said with guidance of a structural engineer, a small hole was cut into the concrete at the site in the basement where the plan calls for an elevator. What was discovered was a “post-tension slab,” or the rebar beneath the concrete slab had been stretched before the concrete was poured. Berry said neither he nor the engineer was sure what would happen if the rebar were cut for placement of the proposed elevator.
“It’s been working for the Auditorium for 100 years, and I don’t want to screw it up,” Berry commented. He speculated that original contractors must have ignored the architect’s drawings.
He made contact with other companies regarding elevators that carry up to 1200 pounds, less weight than originally planned for, but which would not require a cut in the concrete slab. He expects to have preliminary plans including cost estimates for the August 27 council meeting.