FNB: Week 9, Windows Installed

It has been more than a month since my last official update.  We have been completely swamped with finishing demolition, completing final approval from the State and getting ready for Bean Days (Montpelier's annual festival).  Matt & Lane Dye have been working steadily on the interior framing and are almost finished...it's just hard to document with photos since it looks like a forest of 2x4s. 

This week, however, God blessed us with HUGE progress on the exterior...the windows finally arrived and were installed by Craig Siebenaler Construction!

I want to make an important distinction here.  This is not specifically a "restoration".  This is a "revitalization". While it IS a handsome old building with lots of great details but we are not intending to put things back to the old just because it's old.  We want the building to be useable and vibrant.  If it will look better / work better the "old way" then that's what we will do.


The new windows are a perfect example of this distinction.  The old photo here of the First National Building shows the building in its historic context.  We have used this photo to help us decide several important details - the windows being one.  You can see in this old photo that the windows on the First National Building match those next door (Hammer Athletic) and that, compared to the color of the brick, the windows are a bright color.

As we worked on the revitalization plan for the building we had several decisions to make on these windows: color, sizing, design, materials, etc.  We settled on Andersen A-Series windows for many reasons:

1. Custom Sizing. These openings are large and irregular.  Standard-sized windows wouldn't look very good and would not maximize the opening.  A-Series is customizable to the 1/8" which allowed us to use the maximum opening.

2. Fibrex.  While there are differing views on this product I like the structural and longevity characteristics that Fibrex provides.  These windows are 7'-9" x 3'-2".  Installed, these are very stable windows with no parts or fasteners showing.

3. Wood Interior Components.  I've seen solid vinyl windows in rentals...they get pretty gross on the inside.  With wood interior components we can sand, fill, paint and maintain better than with vinyl.

4. No paint on the outside.  We chose white so that we could use Azek trim.  I like color as much as the next guy.  But 15 windows, each opening a little different with the low structural arches at the top...lots of fitting OR 15 individually custom windows.  The Azek trim allowed us to purchase sets of windows which reduced complexity, sped up installation and then covers over the installation in a wear-resistant package.  The result matches those old windows next door very nicely!

In any case, the difference between the building we started with and now is gratifying!  Framing of the apartments should conclude next week.  Then the electric, heat and plumbing begin.  Meanwhile, our mason continues work on the exterior.

FNB: Week 4, Finding the Floors

Apartment A fully demolished

Among the injustices placed on the First National Building over the years is the many...MANY...layers of flooring.  As Matt, Lane, John and Derek Dye have completed most of the demolition (read "disembowelment") of the building we are uncovering the more-than-century-old floor underneath.  In some places three or four layers of flooring have been installed up to an inch thick!  This includes underlayment, linoleum, carpet, tile and even some furniture board.

I want to be very clear - I try not to be OVERLY nostalgic about old stuff.  Floors are just floors after all and the work involved in restoring these floors would be large.  There is something special, though, about walking on floors laid down one hundred thirty-two (132) years ago.

As we discover the old floors we also find the flaws that have been covered up for decades.  The first is also the most humorous.  Some enterprising contractor of a time gone by used spiced meat cans to patch a hole he found (or maybe made accidentally...).  The second is simply a hole found randomly in the floor of Apartment A.  You can see this hole in the photo above.  No good explanation comes to mind.

 

At this point, the plan is to take the building down to the original floors.  When the new walls are installed we will decide if any of the floors are in good-enough shape to save.  The rest will be covered up again and a new flooring material will be installed.

The mason has been working this week.  The windows are ordered and should be here late July.  Final demolition will end in the next week and framing will begin shortly thereafter.  It's coming along nicely!

FNB: Renovations of Old...we'll be fixing that...Part 1

Many of the folks who are following along with our project have asked me some form of the question: "Have you found anything interesting?"  Usually it's accompanied by a gleam in their eye - hoping for a story of mafia treasure, local trivia or maybe some sort of time capsule.  Alas, no...except for some bits of (hideous) wall paper and fragments of old window trim we haven't found anything that is old and/or interesting about the building or community in the building.

We have, however, found the remnants of renovations and incomplete repairs that have done harm to the building.  Thankfully, because we have embarked on a substantial renovation, we are going to fix many of these problems.

The first - and most heinous - is the scary modifications made to the building to install plumbing.  

   

So far we have only uncovered the plumbing for Apartment C. Here, you can see from below the interesting diagonal track that the plumber took from the toilet to the existing drain that runs along the wall and down to the basement.  The course is not the issue.  Next you can see, after we removed the plumbing (and flooring above) the HUGE holes that this plumber cut in the joists!  Finally, a view of the beam that supported the landing for the old stairs.  You can see how the weight of the floor (and everything else above it) has deformed the beam over time.

This is particularly troubling because there are some very handy rules of thumb about how much beam / floor joist you can cut without significantly ruining the structure.  Apparently this plumber wasn't consulting his handbook.

The solution: Thankfully this whole section of floor gets removed to accept the new rear stairs...we PLANNED to take these joists out anyway.  You can see in the photo below where we have removed the plaster and lathe - this is the location of the hole for the new stair.

It's too bad that you find this type of work in almost every renovation project.  More of these to come...

FNB: Opening the Windows, Part 2

Today Craig's team finished opening the brick infill and began framing the openings to receive the new windows.  It's fun to watch the folks on Main Street stop to gawk at the immense progress underway.

 
The fun part of opening the windows is seeing the change in character of the building from the outside AND inside.  The challenge is using what we find to put new windows back in.

As I mentioned in my previous post: this brick is old and it is soft.  This is also the second time is has been significantly tampered with (the first time being when they filled in the openings in the 1970s).  

Opening the windows we confirmed triple wythe brick construction = three separate brick walls that are tied together at intervals.  This type of construction is very strong at this height (two stories) - both in resisting gravity and lateral (wind) loads.  It also provides a nice, deep window sill...these walls are approximately 12" thick!

Row Lock Comparison

 
In this series you can clearly see the three wythes = face brick (exterior), integral (middle), and interior.  You can also pick out the "row lock" where the mason set a brick perpendicular to the wall to attach the integral wythe to the interior.  Don't worry, even though you don't see any row lock, the face brick is also attached to the integral wythe.  Masons of this period used a labor-intense method to attach face brick and conceal the row lock.  I've included a sketch to illustrate the different row lock methods.

A huge consideration will be the detailing to install our new large windows when that time comes.  This is the plan we prepared last week (May 29).  There are a few places where Daniel (the mason) will be making repairs but, in all, the condition of the openings is very good.

I'll be posting later on how we plan to get this done.

FNB: Opening the Windows, Part 1

This project has many dramatic and exciting parts.  Most of those parts are hidden from view - many will eventually be covered up with drywall.  The most dramatic, and the most public, is the removal of all of the brick and wood infill of the window openings and the installation of new, insulated windows that simulate the originals.

A little background - this photo montage shows some of the major changes of the First National Building over the last 133 years.  The most visible is the windows.

 

This week the restoration of those window openings began with the removal of the old windows and scores of bricks. 

The process was painstaking based on these considerations:

1. The original brick is 133 years old.
2. Since the brick is that old, it was probably made locally and is extremely soft.  Extensive vibration and / or stress on the brick could significantly damage the structure of the building.

3. We didn't know how sound the brick infill was installed or how much work would it take to remove those bricks?

With these in mind, Craig Siebenaler and his crew (Randy Manges, Jacob Manges, Ira Barrett, Daniel Cooley) worked very closely with Daniel Hammond (our mason) to strategically cut the infill and then cautiously hammer one brick at a time.  The first window took approximately 2 hours as they hammered, evaluated, adjusted and tried again.  The second window went much faster and, by the end of the day, five openings were freed.

Even now, before the windows have even been ordered, the difference is impressive.  This photo was taken from the inside, just after that first window was removed.  The opening is easily TWO TIMES the height of those replacement windows.  It's hard to show in a photo the DRAMATIC change in character as more and more light fills the room!

Craig and his team worked all day Monday and Tuesday and cleared all but one window opening - a total of eleven in two days.  It looks a little sad with all of that plywood covering the openings but we are making enormous progress.  I've said it many times today...it has to get worse before it can get better :)

FNB: Look at all this space!

Apartment C - looking South

Apartment C - looking North

As demolition progresses (one dumpster filled, another delivered this morning) we are opening up the building and finding so much space!  These photos of Apartment C show the full volume of space that results from taking out the old walls and lowered ceilings.  You can trace the line of the removed walls in the floor and ceiling.  Excellent work by John Dye and Lane Dye.

It's too bad that we don't get to keep all this space...we'll be filling it up with our own walls, stairs and plumbing.  In the meantime we get to investigate the old building and see how things used to work.

An interesting discovery is that none of these walls were original!  How do we know?  Because the plaster is continuous behind the removed walls - and so is the wallpaper!  The photo below shows the (lovely) old wall paper as it appears in the space where a wall used to be.  We haven't taken enough of the walls apart to know what's underneath - we also don't know what the arrangement of these spaces looked like before.  One thing is for sure - we won't be going out and finding this wallpaper for the new apartments :)

FNB: Committed to Doing it Right

Yesterday (Thursday) I had a very productive meeting with a interesting group of people: a carpenter, a mason, a lumber guy and a window guy.  We each came to the table with our backgrounds and talents.  The thing that we have in common = making this project the best it can be.  The great thing about working with thoughtful and talented people is their commitment to doing it right; I am very proud to be working with this group!  Thank you Craig Siebenaler, Daniel Hammond, Greg Shoup and Chris Pfleghaar.

We met to talk about the windows - just ONE of the challenging parts of this project for multiple reasons: 

1) none of the original windows exist on our building.  We do, however, have examples of the original look right next door at Hammer Athletics (photo at right).

2) the original openings have been compromised - even to the point of completely blocking them up...

3) we really don't know the condition of the openings until they are all opened up

We met to form a plan for the windows - how will they be installed, what will the details look like, how much material, how do we keep the water out?  The good thing is that, spending the time to discuss all of the options and important information, we came up with a very good solution which will realize itself here in the next few months.

In order to have this conversation, though, we needed to open up the walls and ceilings to look at all sides of those openings.  The first photo shows the inside of an opening that was completely blocked up - this one stays that way.  The second photo shows the inside of an opening that was fitted with a MUCH smaller window and then bricked the rest of the way up.  See how much higher the ceilings are in the oldest part of the building?

A few frustrating observations:

1) For all the effort to lower the ceilings, in this apartment there was no insulation installed.  What a waste of all that space!

2) They used Belden brick in these openings - for those who don't know, Belden brick is some of the best.  So they used high-quality brick on the outside but installed no insulation in any of these openings.

Our forebears spent a lot of time and energy to retrofit this building while leaving out the most important part - the insulation.  I'm so glad we have the opportunity to do it right this time - with the help of some thoughtful contractors!

FNB: Demolition = Discovery

As demolition gets started, and the dropped ceilings removed, we have already made some discoveries.  These dark spots on the ceiling are skylights!  I haven't spent much time on the roof (I suppose I should have known about them) but we have discovered TWO of them in the future Apartment C.

The problem: BOTH skylights show signs of extensive water infiltration (all past, thankfully) and have been completely covered by the relatively new roof membrane.  This makes the skylights unusable for now.  It may also make the unusable for our project - which is HIGHLY unfortunate...skylights would MAKE these apartments.

In any case, demolition is progressing nicely.  We will have temporary power tomorrow - then demolition will go more quickly!

Next come the windows - something to look forward to for next week.

FNB: ...and so it begins!

2 years, 6 months, 6 days after we purchased the First National Building, work FINALLY begins!

I never thought I would say that I was glad to see a dumpster...but today it was delivered and I was glad!  It's hard to believe...but the day has finally come for hammers to swing in earnest.  

Today Matt Dye Construction arrived to begin the demolition of the second floor of the First National Building.  We begin the rebirth of one of the oldest buildings in downtown Montpelier.

To say that I am excited is an understatement.

FNB: Exciting News! We have been granted "Partial Plan Approval"!

Today I received some long-awaited news - we have been granted "Partial Plan Approval" for the First National Building.  All that means is that we can BEGIN work but we can't FINISH until the Plans Examiner is satisfied with the details and specifications of the new systems being installed.  I still have work to do but at least we can get started!

Dumpster will be delivered tomorrow.  Contractors arrive later this week!  The excitement is growing!

---------------

A short note to explain the silence over the last two months.  We received a surprise when the Bureau of Building Code Compliance (aka "the State") required us to install a monitored fire alarm system in the building (March 10).  We spent a month designing and pricing said system - estimates ranged from $9,000 to $20,000.  We decided that the cost to install plus the perpetual maintenance and monitoring costs were not acceptable for the viability of the project.  So we spent the next month re-designing and coordinating to comply with the Building Code as the State required.

Honestly, I could not bring myself to type a sad and frustrating update about going back to the drawing board AGAIN.  I would rather trudge quietly through and celebrate on the other side.

We submitted for Building Permit on May 7, the Village received the Grant Funds on May 12, we close on the loan May 21.  It's been a busy month - it will be a busy Summer and Fall!  Thank you, Father, for the patience and perseverance to see this project to this point.  Please help me to carry it through!

FNB: Transformations Through the Years

OK, I might be a total geek...but going back in time (through photos) is an interesting adventure whether you are looking at family or buildings.  It's fun to look for the things that you may have missed...or never knew were there!

This photo of some local (1890's) rufians from Al Benjamin is a fine example.  While there are MANY observations to make about our community from this photo I am, of course, concerned with the First National Building which appears in the background:

1. This is the first photo that I have seen without the metal cornice on the corner.  We suspected that the brick detail that shows up on the neighboring storefronts was original and probably extended along the front of the First National Building.  This photo shows that our suspicions were correct.

2. A small observation, but is important for the next, is that the Empire Street elevation was solid...no windows or doors.

3. No corner post.  The storefronts along Main Street appear identical for the original building block (3 storefronts).  It serves to reason, since the corner post and details are metal too, that these were added by the First National Bank.

4. Writing in the second floor windows (illegible) indicates that the second floor was occupied by an office or other business venture.

For those of us who don't visualize very well I put together a comparison.  The angles aren't exactly the same but show in pretty clear detail the transformation that the building went through when the First National Building moved in...and what it looks like now.  That's the reason we are working on this important central building in our community!

FNB: A Thumbnail History

For those of you who don't know, we have a wealth of historical information for our community.  We are fortunate in our community to have several local history buffs who take a lot of time to document the history of buildings, businesses and people from our collective past.  

We were fortunate this week to receive assistance from two of our local historians - Al Benjamin and Bob Bauer.  Between the two, we have been able to piece together a few additional details on the First National Building...

Empire Street ca. 1890
First National Building on the left
Photo reproduction from Montpelier, Ohio 1845 - 1976

1881 - The building that would become the First National Building was built by the business associates Messrs Foltz, Moor and Louden.  The building was a speculative venture including three storefronts along Main Street.  Tenants of the building would continue to change frequently.

Main Street Carnival 1906
Photo from Al Benjamin

1900 - The First National Bank (namesake of the building) was established and purchased the building.

1903 - The First National Bank finally occupied their building with the installation of the new vault.  The cornice and corner detail were probably added around this time.

With the establishment of the First National Bank on the southeast corner opposite the Montpelier National Bank (southwest corner) 1900-1903 established this intersection as the center of downtown Montpelier.

Empire Street ca. 1910
Tinted postcard from Bob Bauer

1903 - 1915 - A long list of professionals and businesses occupied the "rooms" along Empire Street at 224 1/2 W. Main Street, the second floor of the First National Building.  Real estate agents, dentists, attorneys, dance studios and even new newspaper operations got their start behind and above the new bank.  Some of these businesses lasted only a few months, others many years.
 

Montpelier High School Band marching down
Main St. ca. 1946
Photo from Al Benjamin

1916 - In January of 1916 the First National Bank and the Montpelier National Bank merged and consolidated their operations in the National Bank's building across the street.  The building would never operate as a bank again but would retain its distinctive detailing.

1926 - Perhaps the most memorable occupant of the FNB (among older residents) was Carr's on the Corner.  Ted Carr made candy and operated a lunch counter and soda fountain out of the corner storefront from 1926 - 1955.

Later occupants of the First National Building included insurance, real estate and and a variety of other businesses.  One thing remains the same...the First National Building is at the heart of downtown Montpelier.  With the restoration of this significant landmark we hope to continue the revitalization of the heart of Montpelier.

 

 

 

FNB: An Asset for Future Projects

Since we moved back to Ohio, I've talked with a lot of people about downtown buildings.  The questions revolve around: what should we / could we / can we do with these old buildings - many of which need a huge amount of work?

It occurs to me that God has set this project before us for several reasons...

A. There are architects who specialize in this sort of work but they are mostly located in cities and communities outside of our region.  I have to admit that, while I know a lot about old buildings, I was not prepared for the huge effort in getting the documentation and funding pulled together.  I was also not prepared for the scrutiny - on the part of the State - for the work that we were doing.  This project has been an AWESOME learning experience for me!  Thankfully, this is OUR project and my time counts as "service in-kind" = I am effectively doing this work for free.  Whatever learning curve / adjustments we have gone through along the way has been at my own expense.

B. This project has been awesome training for every aspect of this type of project.  At this point I have acted as: Architect, Grant Writer, Leasing Agent, Property Manager, Public Relations Office, Estimator, and currently as General Contractor.  I have to admit - I have previously taken each of these people for granted in some way.  No more!  Each of these folks have my utmost respect because each of these jobs is difficult in its own way.

C.  It is my hope that downtown Montpelier (and the rest of Williams County) can benefit from this experience!  Learning to accomplish a single goal is good but I hope to be able to apply this education to other projects to benefit our community.  If nothing else, I know better what questions to ask when a project gets started.

Working on a schedule...October 31 is coming very quickly!

FNB: Just when we thought we were ready...

Just when we thought we were ready, it turns out we are not.  Of course this wouldn't be a normal downtown revitalization project without a hiccup or snag...

A few weeks ago I met with a VERY helpful plans examiner from the State of Ohio.  See, because Montpelier / Williams County is a rural part of the state, we don't have our own building department.  Changes and updates to commercial buildings generally require approval from the State.  I met with the examiner for a "Preliminary Plan Review."  We both thought we had the project nailed down.  However, as I finished up the code review, I discovered we had an "occupancy" situation. 

The First National Building and it's neighbor share the corridor on the second floor and the stairs at either end - the "means of egress".  Since we plan to significantly update the stairway and lobby (see my earlier post on what we plan to do) we now have to comply with the CURRENT building code which is much more restrictive. 

Suffice it to say that this is a situation that requires more than an administrative OK.  Boy was I antsy to get going the first of March...but that's not going to happen.  I'll be attending a meeting of the Board of Building Appeals on March 10 to ask for relief from the building code due to the hardship of working with an old building.  Hardship...that's an understatement :).

I have to say, though, that this process is much easier with a helpful examiner who is willing to discuss the situation and work with me on a resolution.  Thank you Mr. Plans Examiner!

We're also getting contractors lined up so that, when the permit is ready, so are we.  

One more hurdle to go...thanks for following along!

FNB: The Funding is Now Official!

Today I received an email from the Ohio Development Services Agency...they have approved the Release of Funds for our grant!  I also spoke to our banker and scheduled a tentative closing for the building loan.  So we are official!

Hopefully, we will begin work early in March.

Several comments from those who are following along with our effort have asked about old photos of the building.  We don't have many but this is one of the oldest known photos of Montpelier, probably from the 1890's.  There, on the left, is the First National Building...before it was actually the First National Building.  There is also very little history on this building...only some sketchy details that I have been able to piece together. The main portion of the building was probably built in the 1880's and added to around 1900, when the First National Bank purchased the building.  

The First National Building has been standing at the center of downtown Montpelier for at least 120 years and we are now beginning the journey to restore it to a usable and sustainable condition.  Perhaps the First National Building will continue to provide housing and office / retail space for another 120 years...

FNB: Updating the Way Out

Perhaps the most frightening part of the existing building is the rear stairs. 

 

My architect and builder friends will notice the odd combination of landing and winders...not exactly compliant with any form of code I'm familiar with! At only 2'-6" wide, they aren't exactly generous either.  This condition is clearly not acceptable for an updated residential building.  

An updated means of egress is an essential part of the Project.  This will involve the most intensive change of the existing building as we remove the existing stairs, cut a larger hole in the Second Floor and install new, code-compliant stairs to provide an improved way out.

 

In addition to providing a safe way out, this improvement also allows for a new lobby for the residential portion of the building.  

FNB: Updating the Outside

While the interior of the First National Building is probably the most necessary set of improvements the outside of the building is most important for the community.  As one of the most prominent buildings in Montpelier - and located at the central intersection of downtown - the updates to the outside of the building are critical.

The most obvious issue is the windows.  At some point (probably in the 1970s) the old windows were removed, the openings filled in with brick, and smaller windows inserted instead.  Probably the greatest single expense, but also the greatest single improvement, is the installation of new 3' wide by 8' tall replacement windows.

The other obvious need for improvement is the continuous metal cornice.  Installed after the addition to the building - around 1900 and during the tenure of the First National Bank (from which we derived the name for the building) - this cornice has suffered from both deferred and ineffective maintenance.  Significant time and effort will be expended in restoring the cornice to a condition that will last for another 100 years.

The original building seems to have been constructed between 1870 and 1900.  The masonry is old and, in many places, deteriorated.  No part of the building is more deteriorated than the base where the brick wall intersects with the sidewalk.  Decades of rain, snow, ice, and salt have worn their way into the soft brick and caused significant damage.  At some time in the past a thoughtful building owner added pargeting (cement covering) over the base brick to protect them.  Now, however, the pargeting is breaking off...and the brick with it.  In addition to general repairs to the existing masonry we will be replacing the base of the brick walls with split-face block.

In close coordination with the interior work, the updates to the outside of the building will dramatically improve the look and character of downtown Montpelier.

Next: Updating the Way Out

FNB: The Project (in a nutshell)

This project is actually pretty simple - although the number of parts consistently overwhelms me.  The First National Building (FNB) is, at its most basic, a renovation of a typical commercial building in a Midwest downtown.  The fun (and difficult) part of this project was adapting the existing residential units to current standards...and replace the dilapidated and outdated interiors.

    

These photos show some of the hardships that these apartments have now.  Thankfully no one has lived here in approximately 5 years.  Among the many problems:

1. Inadequate heat (you can see the wall mounted gas heater in one of the units) and no air conditioning.
2. The original 12' ceilings have been lower to 7'-6".
3. The original 8' windows have been chopped to 4'.
4. To say that the kitchens are minimal would be an understatement.

There is no way that we could, in good conscience, rent these apartments as they are right now.  As we began to evaluate the building these were the first to be reviewed.  We set about looking for ways to make the apartments more efficient while, at the same time, more attractive.  The result = lots of demolition.
 

The new apartment layouts include brand new kitchens and bathrooms arranged loft-style to maximize space and natural light.  The location of the building on the end of block allows for a relatively large number of windows a great quantity of light in all apartments.
  

The great thing about using Revit for this project is that we can SEE apartments before they are constructed.  As shown above, we can show the improvements to the kitchens for the benefit of owner, contractor and potential tenants before we get started.

One of the most important parts of this project is to bring back good residential opportunities to downtown Montpelier.  I can hardly wait to see these apartments in person!

Next up: improvements to the exterior.

Something Big Has Begun in Montpelier

More than 2 years since my last blog post...it doesn't seem that long!  But now that we are embarking on something very new it seems appropriate to document our progress so far and throughout the project - for everyone's benefit.

The Project: First National Building

We began this endeavor in November 2011 when my parents purchased the...less than impressive...building across the street from our office.  At the intersection Main and Empire Streets, it's one of the most prominent buildings in town...it also is one of the most dilapidated in the downtown.  The apartments upstairs are not habitable and only 2 of the 4 commercial spaces were occupied.  It seemed like a long-shot, but we began the process of evaluating the building for its rehabilitated potential.

June 2012 - Through Heritage Ohio I was made aware of a webinar on "Discretionary Grants" through the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA, formerly Ohio Department of Development, ODOD).  The webinar described a new formula for downtown revitalization grants focused on individual projects or clusters of buildings - especially those with residential over commercial.  That's EXACTLY what we have!

December 2012 - We received notification from ODSA that the preliminary assessment of our project was acceptable and that we should move forward with our formal application.

July 2013 - After many months of drawings, contractor quotes, banker meetings, community input and a blessing from Village Council we submitted our application for "FY 2013 Community Development Block Grant, Discretionary Targets of Opportunity for Downtown Revitalization".

October 2013 - We received APPROVAL of our grant application.

Effective Friday, January 24, 2014 we have officially requested release of funds to the tune of $170,000 from ODSA.  We hope to receive those funds mid-February 2014.  That means that demolition and preparation work can begin in March.  We must be finished by October 31, 2014 in order to comply with the terms of the grant.

It's been 2 years and 2 months in the works, but we are nearly ready to begin on a very exciting transformation in downtown Montpelier!  My intention is to provide project scope and progress updates as this very exciting project moves along.