By T.S. EVANS
Staff Writer

SOMERS POINT – City Council members brought up a painful topic at the council meeting Thursday, May 8.
Councilman Sean McGuigan started the discussion by mentioning the engineering report council members received on the Gateway Theater.

Lamont “Butch” Czar, a structural engineer hired to inspect the building, sent his structural evaluation to City Administrator Wes Swain May 2. According to Czar, the single-story wood-framed building on Bay Avenue that has had various additions and renovations over its estimated 60-year lifespan is in poor shape.

“The existing roof and siding is in poor condition and riddled with holes,” reads the report. “This allows substantial amounts of rainwater to enter the building during a storm. The roof rafters and sheathing are in fair condition.”

He said all of the wood trusses are severely overstressed.

“Joints have come loose and some members are cracked, split and shifted. Steel tie rods have been introduced but are an inadequate remedy and have failed.  Ceiling joists are undersized and severely deflected under the excessive storage load in the attic.”

According to the report, the rafters and ceiling joists are resting on the interior bearing wall under the mezzanine, which is inadequately supported by the first floor joists.

Exterior masonry walls are in fair condition but with cracks and deteriorated mortar. The wood columns supporting the front canopy exhibit distress and wood rot.

The foundation has settled due to undermining from misdirected site drainage. The first floor concrete slab in the addition is in fair condition with some cracks and settlement; however, the first floor joists over the crawlspace are in fair to poor condition with indications of overstress, excessive deflection and many splits affecting the load capacity. The floor slopes toward the stage, at which point the wood joists are in contact with grade. It lacks sufficient ventilation and moisture protection.

“I found the joists under the stage to be completely rotten and unusable,” Czar said in the report.

He also said the wood appears damaged due to insect infestation.

The masonry support piers are out of plumb and set at various levels over most of the building, causing humps and valleys in the floor frame, and the exterior concrete porches are in poor condition, the report states.

Based on these observations, Czar said the remedial repairs recommended would cost roughly $688,080 depending upon the construction market at the time the work is done and the environmental conditions.

This evaluation does not take into account any architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing or environmental assessments.

City Council President Frank Cosgrove said he found it painful and distressful to read the report.

“It doesn’t sound good,” he said. “I suggest we get together with the committee and economic development commission to discuss this report to make the building structurally sound. We’ll probably have to redo the inside as well. We’ll have to put together an RSP and get a bond.”

Swain suggested a meeting be held with the economic development committee, council, the theater committee and Czar.

Councilman Dave Parker pointed out that the deed agreement said the building would be used as a theater for at least 10 years.