CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Construction for new brick siding to cover the West Virginia Public Service Commission’s building could begin by this summer.
There have been problems with the current siding in recent years because the brick was in danger of falling off the building.
Mike Albert, chairman of the PSC, said they plan on hiring a contractor to do the job within the next few weeks.
“It’s been a wonderful building for us. We don’t want to get rid of it. We’re happy with it, but we do want to see it restored,” he told members of the House Finance Committee during a budget presentation Friday.
The nearly 30-year-old building sits on the corner of Brooks and Quarrier streets in Charleston. Albert said the major issue is located on the south end of the building near Quarrier.
“We were getting some indications of structural weakness particularly in the arch that we took down and also some indications of water damage along that area,” he said.
Albert said it’s been a long time coming, but this work is necessary.
“Everybody that we’ve talked to has indicated that the siding needs to come off, so we’re going to take it off,” he said. “We’re going to try to restore it to the condition it was in before.”
The PSC is estimating construction will cost around $4.5 million. Albert said the entire building was built for nearly $7 million.