Photo by dandeluca

New York City Hall is in desperate need of major attention. SILive.com states: “It is the oldest continuously used government building in the country; the heart of New York City civic life. And it is filled with irreplaceable artifacts and priceless works of art…And it’s falling apart…  The nearly two-centuries old New York City Hall has a roof in imminent danger of collapse, crumbling mortar in the walls, plaster peeling from the ceiling, outdated electrical, heating and cooling systems — and it requires sprinklers and fire alarms to meet new building codes.”

The repairs are going to cost an estimated $94 million. Previous mayors have known about the restorations that needed to be made and put these issues on the backburner. Now it is too late and this job cannot be pushed back further and Mayor Blumberg is going to have to find the cash for the repairs that started in March 2009.

One of the startling discoveries made by engineers is water damage that had been rotting wood for years where they Mayor and his staff work. Most of the work is being done in the west wing of City. Work in the east wing will begin in summer 2010. The whole project is expected be done by 2012. More on this story.

Waiting is expensive and this has been made painfully obvious to those involved in all aspects of this restoration project. If repairs would have been made when they became known and not just pushed aside, the city and its tax payers would not be paying for the extra repair costs now.

Read about how to keep restoration costs down.