Claremont Council Cites Water, Brickwork Issues at Opera House, Visitors Center

Water is winning its slow fight against two of Claremont's most prominent public buildings, and City Manager Nancy Bates wants the council to act before it wins for good.

At the March 11 City Council meeting, Bates presented findings from a preliminary engineering report on the visitors center that offered partial reassurance: engineers found no structural collapse risk. The relief was short-lived. The same report documented significant damage to the brickwork that will need to be addressed, leaving the city facing a repair project whose full scope and cost have yet to be detailed publicly.

The more urgent conversation centered on the historic Claremont Opera House, where water infiltration is actively accelerating deterioration. Bates told the council she had identified a range of problems with the building, specifically setting aside the atrium and police department areas to focus on what she called the most pressing concerns. "We do have a fund balance that could be used to stop rot and water infiltration from further deteriorating the building," she said.

The council agreed that a watertight Opera House is a priority and asked Bates to draft a resolution for next month's meeting that members could sign, putting the city on record and creating a formal path toward funding the repairs.

The March 11 meeting covered several other items. Mayor Dale Gerard opened by announcing that the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center is organizing its eighth annual scholarship golf tournament, set for Wednesday, May 20, with sponsorships and volunteer slots still available through the Claremont Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

Alex Gleason, director of the Department of Public Works, secured two approvals: the council signed off on completing the final application for a wastewater treatment facility study and accepted a $100,000 grant from the state to help fund it. The council also authorized the Department of Public Works to enter a four-year lease for a replacement vehicle lift at the highway garage.

A proposal to replace 11 pieces of cardiovascular gym equipment at the community center, floated using funds from the center's noncapital reserve for fitness equipment, did not advance. Council members asked for more information and broader community input before committing to a decision.

The resolution Bates was asked to draft for the Opera House will be the item to watch at April's council meeting, where the council will need to settle on exactly which funds to deploy and how quickly repairs can begin.