Lockport City Council to lease township space during Central Square renovations

Lockport — The Lockport City Council reviewed plans for a lease agreement with Lockport Township for use of its facilities during Central Square renovations at the Committee of the Whole meeting Wednesday.

City Administrator Ben Benson said city staff and officials met with representatives of Lockport Township recently to view the township’s community room and discuss the possibility of using it for meetings during renovations this fall.

Benson said that the township has offered to provide the space in its building at 1463 Farrell Road for free to the city. The city will need to pay a refundable $50 cleaning deposit and provide insurance for the facility while it is using the community room, something that will be covered by the city’s existing insurance policy at no extra cost.

The regular boardroom at Central Square will be unavailable for use from Aug. 1 through Nov. 30 because of a $2.5 million renovation project scheduled for the historic building.

Benson said the first phase of construction will see the main office building, including the boardroom, renovated with new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as lighting upgrades, new fire alarms and sprinklers, ceiling and roof repairs, small amounts of asbestos abatement, and improved plumbing – including the third-floor bathrooms, where most of the ceiling was already removed due to a leak in late 2024.

The main office building of Central Square is more than 120 years old and has not seen any major renovations since the 1980s.

During that phase, city staff members from the building and water departments will continue regular operations but will be working primarily out of the building’s gym.

Water bill payment, permitting services and building inspections all will be available at Central Square during this time.

During phase two, the gym will undergo similar renovations, and some staff members will be working out of the boardroom to stay out of the way of construction.

Access to the elevator will be cut off during the construction period due to the need to access the air ducts, Benson said, so the boardroom would not be fully accessible to the public during this time.

The lease agreement covers all meetings of the City Council and Committee of the Whole, which meet twice monthly, as well as the monthly meetings of the Plan Commission, and the Heritage and Architecture Committee.

Although the two committees usually meet Tuesdays, the meetings will be temporarily rescheduled to Wednesdays to limit the number of days the city will need the building.

Broadcasting of all meetings online will continue as usual during the temporary relocation.