Augusta officials want engineering study of 96-year-old theater
City officials in Augusta, Maine want the owners of the 1913 Colonial Theater to conduct a comprehensive engineering study within 45 days in order to figure out how to make the building safe. The City urged the property owners to obtain liability insurance within two weeks, recommending a policy of at least $1 million. A preliminary report done in 1998 estimated that a comprehensive study would cost over $10,000. Councilors worry about pieces of the building falling off and injuring or killing someone.
The City Manager has gotten in touch with Summit Environmental Consultants about coming up with a price to tear down the theater, but asbestos and lead paint will need to be abated before demolition can occur. If the owners instead decide to restore the theater, it is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, so restoration would have to be done without federal funding.
For the full story, go to Kennebec Journal.
