Door conflicts delay opening of new city hall
By Andrew Bell
Published in News on April 20, 2006 1:47 PM
A conflict between fire codes could delay the opening of the new Goldsboro City Hall.
Assistant City Manager Tasha Logan told Goldsboro City Council members Monday night there is an issue with the exit doors near the stairwell of the building.
"Once the temperature hits a certain degree, which is 400 degrees Fahrenheit, a pin locks the doors in place preventing egress," Mrs. Logan said.
The locking mechanism does not allow occupants to escape in the event of a fire, which causes a conflict with the city's fire code. At a certain point during a fire, though, the doors are supposed to act as a fire barrier, which creates a conflict between the fire code and the state's building code, she said.
Mrs. Logan said the doors were not a problem during the constuction process, but must be fixed before the final inspection can take place.
The city could either replace the doors or modify them to be in conjunction with both codes. Since replacing the doors would cost money and delay the city's relocation into the building, City Council members agreed to modify the doors.
Mrs. Logan said she did not know how much the modifications would cost the city, but a former engineer for the state's Department of Insurance is assisting the city in the project.
The final inspection for the building should be in about two weeks, Mrs. Logan said. Near that time, city officials will decide when to have an open house of the new building.