Repairing damage that time has done to the old Bank of Grand Cane building, now the Town Hall, was the topic of discussion at the meeting of the Board of Aldermen this week. A specialist in historic preservation gave a presentation on the damage the building has suffered.
Greg Duggan looked at the water damage done on the inside of the lobby and the damaged and cracked front of the building. Dugan said, “These old buildings need to breathe. They were built for the air to come in and go out. Water has seeped in behind the Portland Cement walls and caused the paint to bubble. With tightly closed buildings for air conditioning there is no way for the water to get from behind the walls.”
Mayor Marsha Richardson said, “Restoration is important. If we didn’t have this strip (of buildings) we wouldn’t have anything to Grand Cane. We’ve got to take care of it.”
Other damage to the inside of the Town Hall was noted. After aldermen discussed the matter it was decided that Dugan will get the town an estimate of repairing the inside of the building. Work is not expected to begin until early 2022.
