$89,000 needed to modernize library elevator

NEW LONDON – The elevator in the former First State Bank building that the New London Public Library is renovating and will be moving into soon will be modernized before the move.
At a special council meeting Jan. 6, the New London Common Council approved the low bid of $89,000 from Metro Elevator, Inc. to modernize the elevator prior to the library moving into the building. The modernization is required to bring the elevator up to 2016 building code.
The elevator project will be funded with funds from the Contingency Fund in the building renovation budget.
At the meeting, Hayden Van Camp, project manager with Keller Inc., told the council that a building inspector would tell the city that it needs fire suppression inside of the pit of the elevator. But a building inspector would also tell the city it cannot have any fire suppression in the elevator pit unless the elevator is brought up to 2016 building code.
“Anything that you do in the building, renovation-wise, you’re going to have to bring it up to the latest code,” Van Camp said. “So, with us putting in the fire suppression, you have to bring the building up to 2016 code, which wasn’t originally brought up. Wasn’t known about, but we found out later on.”

Because of that, Van Camp said Keller researched the best option for the library project – have a new elevator in the renovated building or modernize the current elevator in the building.
With the elevator not being up to 2016 code, if there were to be a fire in the building, the elevator would lock, and anybody in the elevator at that time would be stuck in the elevator.
“Which of course, for safety, is not optimal,” Van Camp said.
If the elevator were brought up to 2016 code, if there is a fire, the elevator would god down to the first floor and the doors would open, Van Camp said.
Van Camp added that Keller contacted two elevator companies to devise a plan for the library project. Eventually two bids were secured to modernize the current elevator in the building.
“What they said is you’re not going to get as high of quality of an elevator as they were made back then, and this modernization, what it does, is just gives all the electrical components of a new elevator, but your older, sturdier, better-built elevator will still remain,” Van Camp said.
When Keller put the elevator project out to bid, three bids were received, with the low bid submitted by Metro Elevator, Inc. in the amount of $89,000. The bid amount was lower than the $117,000 amount that Keller had estimated the cost would be, Van Camp said.
New London City Administrator Chad Hoerth told the council that originally representatives from the state of Wisconsin had told a Keller representative that if the elevator was not touched during the building renovation, the elevator would not need to be modernized.
“The plan originally was not to touch it because it would be grandfathered into the codes,” Hoerth said.
Ald. David Dorsey said he would rather have the elevator go to the first floor if the building is on fire whether the code requires it or not.
Van Camp said a grace period was hoped for to allow time for funds to be raised to modernize the elevator.
A couple alternative fixes that would have cost around $60,000 were explored, Van Camp said. But these alternatives would have been harder on the elevator and there was no guarantee how long the alternative fixes would last.
“That money could be just wasted by doing it that way,” Van Camp said. “Modernization, it will last with this, and it will be up to code and safe. You shouldn’t have to do anything for a very long time.”
Hoerth said the elevator project could have been a change order for the library project, but instead it was bid out separately. Doing it that way saved some money on the project by avoiding an upcharge.