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Grantsville Mayor Neil Blankenship asked the Calhoun Commission yesterday for help in relocating town hall operations.
Commissioners told the mayor they will do whatever they can to help the situation.
Blankenship said Worker's Compensation will be meeting with the town Wednesday to discuss the agencies concern for the safety of town employees.
"We need to find new quarters," said Blankenship, who said an engineering firm hired by the town has recommended
demolishing the current structure, declaring it unsafe.
"Localized catastrophic failure could occur in any of these areas, resulting in parts of the wall falling outside of the building," said the report.
The mayor wanted to know if town offices, including the police department, could use available space in the old county jail building beside the courthouse.
Diane Ludwig, of the LK Development Corporation, advised the commission she was willing to use space on the second floor of the building to allow workers to use first floor space.
Commissioners advised the mayor there is unused space in the jail building that could be used and other areas could be renovated.
Commission President Larry McCallister said the commission will be looking at replacing two old finances in the building with an application for a Courthouse Facilities Grant.
The commission voted unanimously to extend the use of space in the old jail building for town use, with some trade-off to the town to provide water, sewage and trash services to the courthouse complex.
The mayor said he would advise town council of the offer, and ask them for a decision.
Cerrone Associates of Wheeling has advised the town to pursue a safer facility for office space due to its proximity to the maintenance area, which the firm says must be placed off-limits.
The town must "immediately abandon the maintenance garage (old fire station) and quarantine the facility from public occupation adjacent to the side and rear walls."
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