Contractors are nearly finished re-roofing the 1895-built Carriage Barn at Waveny and soon will begin replacing the old slate roofing at Lapham Community Center, officials say.
A brand-new roof on the Carriage Barn at Waveny—July 22, 2015 photo. Credit: Michael Dinan
The town projects both are being paid out of the fiscal year 2015 capital budget, with the Carriage Barn job pegged at $225,000 and Lapham at $340,000 (see page 39 of the adopted budget here).
The Lapham roof sections in need of replacement will get the same slate as the original, with identical colors and design, according to Bill Oestmann, superintendent of buildings with the New Canaan Department of Public Works.
Looking at the back of Lapham Community Center on July 22, 2015. Credit: Michael Dinan
With a bid opening Thursday, the process of getting major capital repairs done at Waveny House also will begin, Oestmann said.
The town for the current fiscal year approved $50,000 for an engineering and architectural renovation plan at the cherished town-owned structure.
“The biggest piece of the puzzle is the roof needs to be done on it,” Oestmann said. “And then we have to get the whole building into code compliance. It must be all handicapped accessible, and we will do the electrical, heating, and look at the cost for [centralized] AC in the building.”
Waveny House on July 22, 2015. Credit: Michael Dinan
The estimated total project cost for the physical repairs and upgrades at Waveny House is $3,850,000, according to the adopted budget (see page 44). In its five-year capital plan, the town has earmarked $300,000 for fiscal year 2017 and $3.5 million for the following year.
Designed by Greenwich’s W.B. Tubby and built in 1912 under the Laphams, Waveny House is named for the River ‘Waveney’—part of the Norfolk Broads, an area of eastern England from which the Lapham family hails, historians say. Waveny Park has been public property since Mrs. Ruth Lapham Lloyd sold it to the town in 1967—the actor Christopher Lloyd’s mother, she passed away 30 years ago.