Restore Old Buckley Garage!

The City of Lawrence inspected the conditions of the Buckley Garage in Amesbury and the corner of Common St., to prevent the situation that occurred in Museum Square.

According to a report issued to the City of Lawrence, the primary work for the garage renovation includes repairing and restoring two existing four-story stairwells, but not limited to painting the stairwells and stairwell. Staircase, and replace emergency lighting, provide new signage, provide new replacement emergency lighting and exit signs, among others.

As a precautionary measure and while funds are allocated for the project, the City of Lawrence has already inspected the condition of the garage.

Mayor Brian de Peña points to the stairs as the most immediate replacement, given their dilapidated condition. “In general, these are easy solutions that won’t cost a lot of money in repairs and will avoid major expenses in the future,” says de Peña.

The garage opened in 1993 and was named for former Mayor John Buckley, who was elected in 1951 and served for 22 years, making him the longest-serving mayor in Lawrence. The Buckley Garage has not had any major repairs since it opened. The upcoming repairs are part of an ongoing capital improvement to the City of Lawrence’s infrastructure.

The information given in this report comes from the observations of a team of previous administrations. Once the problems were brought to the attention of Mayor Brian De Peña, by DPW Director Jorge Jaime, who discovered that the stairs were in such bad shape that they needed to be replaced. Upon closer examination, several other repairs were deemed essential to keeping the garage in tip-top condition.

The main areas of deficiency in the interior of the garage are due to water damage, normal wear and tear, and code requirements. The penetration of water in the lower floors of the stairs of both towers has caused the erosion of the metallic structure and the spelling of the landings and concrete steps. The fourth floor elevator enclosure has water stains on the ceiling due to a leak in the ceiling.

The accessibility to enter and exit the covered part of the garage forces users to go back and forth between the sidewalk and the paved road. Multiple blind spots for drivers and bus traffic along with walking trails in their current state should be considered a safety deficit for pedestrians. Additionally, vehicular traffic entering the parking lot partially blocks pedestrian traffic due to the location of the gate.

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