Structural Engineer To Assess City Council Chamber After Recent Burst Pipe
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia officials are bringing in a structural engineer early this week to look at water damage suffered in City Council chambers after a pipe burst last week.
This happened early Tuesday on the 9th floor of City Hall, causing water damage both to the Law Library on the 6th floor and City Council chambers on the 4th.
Public Property Commissioner Bridget Collins-Greenwald says her own staff engineers believe there's no structural damage, but early this week an independent structural engineer will come in to do thorough review:
"We want to get this assessment done just to determine that it is safe for people to go back in. We assume that it is, but we want to have that confirmation."
Meantime, she says they're making progress in drying out the carpeting in both Council chambers and the law library:
"We have also contracted with a professional property restoration crew. They deal with these types of things all the time. So they are remediating that situation. And the carpet is drying up nicely."
Collins-Greenwald says it is feasible that Council chambers could be re-opened later this week, but she can't say with certainty until this outside engineering firm completes its work. She also does not yet have an estimate on the cost of the repairs and remediation.
The damage is significantly less than water damage suffered in City Council chambers and others rooms back in 2002, when a pipe burst over Easter weekend.
The chambers remained closed for about a year, and the repairs total about $2 million.
