LUCERNE — Plans to renovate the approximately 70-year-old building that houses the Lucerne Senior Center are moving forward, according to Lake County Redevelopment (RDA) assistant director Eric Seely.
The process started when the Lake County Board of Supervisors ? sitting as the RDA board of directors ? approved $30,000 for repairs to the building”s leaky roof in January. Seely said Thursday that a bid should be awarded for the roof work within a week. Meanwhile, problems were found with the building”s electrical system, kitchen fire safety standards, heating and cooling systems and energy efficiency.
“While we were investigating the roof problems, we found other issues. The most pressing is the electrical system. We”re looking at a complete rewire of the building,” Seely said.
“We do not believe that it is an imminent fire hazard, because it hasn”t burned down yet,” Seely said. He added that a Lake County electrician hired to look at the building”s electrical wiring found problems with the system sufficient enough to make it a top priority for the RDA to address.
“We found that there had been modifications made to the electrical system that were not done to code,” Seely said. “It (the senior center) was built as a school in 1930, and its electrical needs were quite minimal. Then the building”s needs changed with the addition of computers and more office space, and it”s taxing the system ? it”s pushing it.”
Seely said the next step is to get a price estimate for an electrical engineer to design a new electrical system. Once he has that proposal, Seely said the decision will be in the hands of the RDA board of directors.
“We got a very good mold report back,” Seely said. An inspection was done in response to concerns from Lucerne residents about mold problems in the senior center when the roof repairs were approved in January.
The building”s kitchen needs a new fire suppression system and a new exhaust hood over its stove, Seely said, in order to comply with fire codes that changed last year. The kitchen is also in need of a new dishwasher, another upgrade that will go before the board in about a month. Seely said the board would also consider installing a central heating and cooling system and floor drains in the kitchen.
In addition, Seely said the building lacks insulation, double-paned windows and weather stripping on its doors for energy efficiency. An energy audit Pacific Gas & Electric conducted Thursday would also be included in the materials for the board to consider, according to Seely.
“Renovating a public facility is something we can do. But we would look at mechanisms to protect our investment,” Seely said.
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