Blythe Robinson, Upton’s Town Manager, reports work continues on the Upton Town Hall. The project is still in the demolition phase. The project is going well and on plan with one exception to date.
“In the basement they have uncovered some ledge and some rather large rocks,” said Blythe at the August 20 Upton Selectmen meeting. “It’s become a healthy debate on how big is a rock.” The question is what is covered in the demolition. If it’s ledge it may be the town’s responsibility. If it’s rock, then the contractor is responsible for the cost. “We have brought in a geotechnical engineer to figure out what is the best way to do that.”
During the work on the basement an old well was discovered which was a surprise. It was discovered in what used to be the Veterans Agent Office and many years ago the Police Station. The well was about 10 feet deep and will be filled in and closed as part of the renovation process.
The main hall drop ceiling has been removed and you can see above the arches which had been covered for about 40 years. According to Blythe, “It’s beautiful.”
Below is a gallery of photos taken during the renovation process to date. Click on one image to begin slideshow or to enlarge image. Photos submitted by the Upton Town Hall Renovation Committee.
The walls and false ceilings removed from the Selectmen’s, Town Manager’s, and Assessors’ offices reveal the original town library with its high ceiling and fireplace. The Library was used for English classes when the high school burned down. The Little Town Hall was also divided into classrooms and the students had lunch in the gym listening to the music being played on a piano in the corner.
The original town library looking toward the original entrance. Patrons entered the library on the Warren St. side of the building and climbed about six stairs to the door of the library which could be accessed without entering the rest of the building. That entrance has not been used by the public for years and the door was kept closed at the side of the Selectmen’s office.
The murals and floor of the Main Hall are covered for protection during the selected demolition phase.
The floor area of the Little Town Hall is brought to uniform height to house the future Little Town Hall meeting room accommodating 49 people and providing live broadcasting of meetings and hearings for UCTV.
The floor of the balcony was removed for restoration (as were the rails).
The truss rods installed to add support to the arched roof structure in the 1940’s were concealed. They will now be exposed and painted to match the design of the main hall.
Some asbestos was removed in previous town hall projects, and the remaining asbestos was removed before demolition of all the basement rooms.
The partitioning walls in the basement constructed over the years were all removed to accommodate excavation and the new lower level floor plan.
The two non-original entrances added for the Treasurer/Collector’s Office and the old Police Station (then DPW office, then UCTV office) were removed early in the process. Opening up the space then allowed workers to continue on to the excavation in the basement.
Workers first worked to collect the pieces of the walls taken down in the basement. Due to the small access to the basement and working space, relatively small equipment must be used for this work.
Workers use additional equipment to move the pieces from the basement to outside for disposal. They are lowering the floor of the basement to accommodate HVAC systems and improved ceiling heights in lower-level office space.
Workers created a new double-door entry opening in the front basement wall which will become the accessible entrance to the building. They use the temporary ramp for moving equipment, supplies, and debris between the interior of the basement and outside.
In mid-August workers removed the secondary ceiling from the main hall. The framework holding the lowered ceiling is visible and currently being removed.
Above the framework we can now see the original arched trusses of the main hall as well as the dangling chain which once held a chandelier. All trusses will be restored to their original cocoa color and include accent colors used in the original stenciling of the hall.
Workers uncovered an abandoned well approximately ten feet deep under the previous location of the Veteran’s Agent’s desk.
Nearby the well are several brick wall foundation outlines that appear they may have been for horse stalls.
Workers uncovered some ledge during excavation which is being removed by a variety of methods. The designers anticipated some ledge and included an allowance for ledge removal in the project budget.
UPTON DAILY 
Great Post. Thanks!