Penfield Pavilion was identified as one of the largest repairs the town needed to do on its buildings after the October storm. Most of the floors inside the building and on the deck outside were warped, and the outside stairwells and handicap ramps were destroyed by the storm.
Engineer Jose Miguel Albaine was hired to investigate why the pavilion sustained such heavy damage and how the town can rebuild it better. His group found that the support columns for Penfield’s foundation were not buried deep enough. The waves and wind from the storm washed away much of the sand and soil underneath the pavilion, leaving some columns completely unsupported.
Penfield will have to be rebuilt to match a new flood map for the area the Federal Emergency Management Agency will issue next month. The area’s new zone requires that the building be about five feet higher off the ground than it is currently. Albaine recommends going another foot higher for extra security.
He also recommends a new foundation that will go down 20 to 30 feet. Those foundation pillars could also be connected by a grid of beams for extra support. A gradual run-up of sand on the beach side of the building can be put in place to ease the transition and provide some flood protection to the neighborhood.
“We’ve got to go down, and we’ve got to raise the building,” Albaine told the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday. “That is a given right now.”
The town set aside $1 million to rebuild Penfield Pavilion last winter as part of a $5.2 million package for rebuilding town facilities after Sandy. Fairfield has an insurance policy on the pavilion that covers storm damage, and is currently negotiating with its insurance company to see how much of the renovation the insurance will cover.
Most of the structure itself is intact. The inner and outer walls and equipment inside can be replaced as needed and fit on top of a new foundation.
“Our goal is to not do anything more than have the same uses—the bath houses, concessions, assembly hall, meeting room, lockers, decking, etc.,” Public Works Director Joseph Michelangelo said Wednesday.
The town’s leaders would have to decide where they want to place the rebuilt Pavilion. Fairfield could put it into the same footprint it has currently. Albaine also suggested moving the building farther away from the shore, into its existing parking lot. His group plans to have cost estimates for both plans next month.
“We’re going to have all the data, all the information for the town to make that decision,” Albaine said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.