Princeton Packet

14 January, 1986

Borough’s garage recovering slowly

By Kathleen Cannon

Staff Writer

The scene of a still-unsolved fire is finally shaping up.

Repair work to the Princeton Borough public works garage, located behind the Princeton Hook and Ladder fire house on Harrison Street, is about 60 percent complete, borough engineer Carl Peters said Monday.

The 30-year-old facility, destroyed by a fire on Nov. 7, 1984, will cost $411,490 to repair. Borough police Capt. John Bellow Jr. said authorities still do not know what caused the fire.

Meanwhile, borough officials are still negotiating with their insurance company, which in August only offered $268,000 to repair the public works building, Mr. Peters said.

On Monday, subcontractors were busy working on the roof, vehicle lift and storage areas. About 15 in all continued the renovations in the freezing January temperatures.

Smoke damage still marks the eastern wall. The early morning fire concentrated on the central portion of the building, leaving front and back sections free of much damage, it was reported at the time.

The borough engineer said the entire project, started in mid-September, should be completed by mid-March. He hopes the 20 or so borough employees usually housed at the facility will be back by Easter.

In the meantime, they have been working out of the Princeton Sewer Operating Committee’s River Road facility, he said.

The project is about six weeks be-hind schedule, Mr. Peters said, be-cause the cold winter months slow productivity.

“A mason out here when it’s in the 40s with cold hands will not work as fast as when it’s in the 80s,” he said.

Last winter, before borough employees were moved to the River Road facility, they encountered strong breezes blowing though the holes in the roof. Two kerosene heaters were brought in then to fight the winter chill.