Town Hall Weatherproofing Project Has Begun

Planning on making a visit to the County Tax Assessor’s Office, Library or other government office housed in Town Hall? Please be aware of extensive work to weatherproof Southlake Town Hall that began this week and that will continue for an anticipated 6-8 weeks.

Since Town Hall was built more than ten years ago, very little maintenance to the exterior of the building has taken place.  Over time, openings have developed around the building’s window frames and brick and masonry stone joints. These crevices have allowed rainwater to enter the building, and damage its interior ceiling and walls.

To secure Town Hall from additional water damage, the City has contracted with Weatherproofing Technologies to waterproof the entire south side of the building and address issues on the north and south entrances of the building.

But before the contractor can begin the weatherproofing project, mildew and mold from the building’s exterior must be removed via pressure washing.  In accordance with the Stage 1 water conservation measures all Southlake residents and businesses must abide by, pressure washing of the building’s exterior will only take place before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.

In addition, whatever building entrance that is being worked on will have to be temporarily closed.  Signs, however, will be posted around the building to direct foot traffic to the open entrance. In order to reach many of the problem areas which need to be addressed, scaffolding will also be set up on the south side of the building.  For safety reasons, the handicapped ramps will be unavailable for use while work is being performed overhead.

And because much of the original sealant and grout in the building’s entrance steps has hardened and is no longer effective, the contractor will also be grinding, removing, and replacing the grout on the masonry steps before cleaning and resealing them. The City anticipates that heavy dust will be generated from the grinding of the masonry joints, and will post signs to inform drivers of vehicles parked adjacent to Town Hall of this possibility.

The grinding of the joints on the steps and the south façade of the building is also expected to create significant noise within the building itself, though the contractor has agreed to grind only between the hours of 6-10 a.m., Monday-Friday (please note that the contractor obtained a noise variance permit from DPS to begin construction work before 7 a.m.). City staff do not anticipate that noise will be transmitted to any adjacent residences.

For additional information, please contact the City’s Public Works Department at (817) 748-8098.