Grand Forks city councillors and staff members were on hand Friday afternoon for an open house at City Hall. Work crews have finished the initial clean-up of the old building after a devastating fire gutted most of the main floor. Residents were able to see into the building and look at poster boards of the plans of the re-constructed City Hall.
"As you can see, the interior of City Hall is finally prepped to begin the rebuilding of its interior," said Mayor Taylor in a speech. "As council and staff endured through the initial clean up and then experienced a second phase of remediation, when it was discovered that there was additional lead paint which needed to be removed. In addition, more work was required to bring the exterior walls up to the current building code."
Taylor said that council and staff will be relieved to see one of the Grand Forks' most precious landmarks restored back to its' formal glory and more.
"The city is currently is the process of choosing and awarding the successful proponent to reconstruct City Hall," said Taylor. He added that work will commence soon after awarding the contract.
"We are hopeful that we may showcase the building at the inaugural meeting of the new city council this December and invite all of you to be a part of the occasion," said Taylor.