The City of Lisbon has approved a $29,700 bid with Bi-State Masonry of Rock Island, Ill., to remove lead paint on the exterior of the Lisbon History Center’s west wall.
Bi-State Masonry provided the only bid for the project.
Lisbon city council member Sara Nost said her worry was removing the lead paint and leaving the brick exposed to the elements, especially if there are issues that are discovered when paint has been removed.
“I worry that any protection these bricks get from the lead paint and exposing them to the elements could lead to more damage if the work isn’t done to seal that wall right away,” Nost said.
Lisbon Historic Preservation Commission member Rebecca Hess said the commission is concerned about this, too, but that the three-to-five-month timeframe between the paint being removed and being sealed will not cause significant damage to the building.
Tuckpointing and sealing of the bricks on the west wall will be concluded this fall.
The commission is applying for additional grants to offset the costs of the tuckpointing project as well.
When Nost asked why risk exposing the brick for those three to five months, Hess said that the history center is located in downtown Lisbon and sits at a main intersection of town.
“Not taking care of this lead paint makes it look like we don’t care for this building in a dominant part of town,” Hess said.
The commission also has until the end of this fiscal year to utilize grant money from Linn County for the lead paint remediation and, because the commission will be applying for additional grants from Linn County, they are wary of asking for an extension and applying for more money.
Lisbon city council member Mike Williams said he was against the City buying that building for the Lisbon History Center originally in one of his last terms on council, but that was a fight he had lost.
“We need to fix this city building,” Williams said.
That’s what Lisbon city council member Nathan Smith agreed to as well.
“We kind of have to do this lead paint remediation,” Smith said. “It’s a liability issue if we let that paint remain and know it exists. There’s a low risk of damage in the three to five months the bricks are exposed before they can be sealed or tuckpointed. “