The Daily Newarker — Press Wire

For Immediate Release

CITY HALL AND CITY HALL ANNEX WILL BE SHUT DOWN FROM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5

UNTIL MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 6, DUE TO REPAIR WORK

Main cable that powers buildings will be replaced over weekend

as part of continued restoration and rehabilitation of historic structure

Newark, NJ – December 4, 2009 – Mayor Cory A. Booker and Acting Engineering Director Mehdi Mohammadish announced today that the City of Newark will shut off all electrical power to City Hall and City Hall Annex, closing the buildings completely on Saturday, December 5, through midnight at the end of Sunday, December 6, 2009. This measure is to accommodate repair work on the main electrical cable that supplies power to the building complex. In addition, power may be interrupted at Police Headquarters at 22 Franklin Street.

All City Hall and City Hall Annex employees are being reminded to turn off all electrical equipment, including computers before close of business today, Friday, December 4, and back-up vital or important information. All employees are also being reminded to empty refrigerators of perishable items, as they will spoil during the shutdown. The Police Department will provide additional security for the building while its electronic alarms are shut off, and the Fire Department will provide firewatch.

“We are working to restore our glorious 100-year-old City Hall to a level of grandeur and magnificence worthy of our historic City and its people,” Mayor Booker said. “This includes replacing outdated electrical systems with more modern ones that can accommodate 21^st-century technology. I commend the Department of Engineering on its work to rehabilitate City Hall.”

According to Director Mohammadish, the century-old main cable will be replaced during the weekend with a newer and safer one. At the same time, electricians will also review other systems in the historic building. There is no danger to anyone entering or working in the buildings.

The repair work, which will cost approximately $25,000, is being accomplished under the City’s existing electrical maintenance contracts. The repair work is being done as a preventative measure, using the weekend to replace the cable to minimize inconvenience to municipal workers and residents.

“We are working to rehabilitate and restore City Hall in every way possible,” Director Mohammadish said, “And that includes ensuring that it can support the 21^st-century technologies that were not even dreamed of when this building was completed just over 100 years ago. We want City Hall to be a symbol of Newark’s excellence.”

The City began a renovation project to combat the effects of 100 years of weather tear and bird waste on the Beaux Arts building in 2006, and to modernize the structure. The Princeton-based architecture firm of Farewell Mills & Gatsch was hired to design the exterior rehabilitation, which included the cleaning of the granite façade, replacing window-panes, rewiring, and restoring the elaborate light fixtures on the outdoor grand staircases.

The $18 million year-long renovation project was symbolically capstoned in December 2006 with the restoration of the 97-foot tall golden dome, gilded with thin sheets of 23-carat gold leaf, and a formal re-dedication of the building.

The renovation project also included the cleaning of air-conditioning vents and ducts, and better insulating and weatherproofing the building. The next stage of the project calls for internal renovations to clean the building’s interior, restore stained glass windows, and plaster and paint in the building’s atriums.

Under the Booker administration, the Department of Engineering has begun a vigorous program of improving the City’s infrastructure. The City of Newark is in the midst of its biggest park expansion and rehabilitation initiative in more than a century. On July 28, 2009, Newark opened Nat Turner Park, the largest city-owned park. The City, working with GreenSpaces, a public/private partnership, and the Trust for Public Land, has committed $40 million for this parks initiative. Thus far, the City has completed new parks and fields at St. Peter’s Park, Boys Park, First Street and Thomas Silk Parks, Ironbound B Field, and, in cooperation with Newark Public Schools, has built a new athletic complex at Weequahic High School. Parks currently are or will soon be under construction in every ward, with a total of 20 new or enhanced parks planned for completion by the end of 2010.

The Department has also launched a comprehensive rehabilitation of the City’s Recreation centers, Police precincts, firehouses, and other facilities. At the same time, the Department of Engineering has opened new repair facilities for City-owned vehicles, added environmentally-friendly electric cars to its motor fleet, installed cameras to catch motorists who run red lights, launched green initiatives, and is continuing the restoration of historic City Hall.

For more information about any City of Newark municipal program or policy, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.

-NEWARK-

Contact:        Press Information Office: (973) 733-8004

                E-mail: Pressoffice@ci.newark.nj.us

About the City of Newark, New Jersey

Newark, commonly referred to as Brick City, is the third oldest city in the United States and the largest in New Jersey, with a population of more than 280,000 people. Newark sits on one of the nation’s largest transportation super-structures including an international airport, major rail connections, major highway intersections and the busiest seaport on the east coast.

With a new Administration as of July 2006, Newark continues to see signs of a strong revival.  In population, it is one of the fastest growing cities in the northeast. Its six major colleges and universities are further expanding their presence. The production of affordable housing has doubled, businesses are returning and crime is going down. There is still much work to be done but Newark is on its way to achieving its mission:  to set a national standard for urban transformation.

For more information on the City of Newark, please visit our website at www.ci.newark.nj.us

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