table of contents - the City of Easton

7
7. ENGINEERING REVIEW
CMX Engineering assessed the existing conditions of the engineering systems
(mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural systems) in each of the
buildings at Silk. The firm also reviewed the site civil and geotechnical
conditions extant on the property. A summary of their analysis is presented
below and further detailed in the Appendix.
Structural Investigation
The results of the structural condition assessment and analysis of the Easton
Silk Mill buildings indicate that the majority of the existing structures,
including the Pedestrian Bridge, are in relatively fair to good condition. In
addition, the majority of the buildings that are in fair to good condition
appear to have adequate structural floor load carrying capacity to enable
their adaptive reuse as either residential, office, retail, light storage
warehouse, or light manufacturing facilities. However, some buildings are in
poor to extremely poor condition and require immediate repairs in order to
mitigate any further deterioration or prevent partial collapse. The structures
that require immediate repairs include the attic and roof framing of Building
D and the site retaining walls located along Bushkill Creek and around
Building L. In very few cases, some structures are in such poor condition that
demolition rather than repair is economically practical.
The existing buildings will require a considerable amount of structural repair
work to assure their safe use and continued service life. The total estimated
cost to complete the structural repairs recommended by this report (including
the demolition of certain structures) is $3,140,000. This cost estimate does
not include the removal of any existing equipment, replacement of existing
roof coverings or strengthening and upgrades to the existing structures.