Lyndeborough Citizens’ Hall is sagging due to stress on old beams

Lyndeborough Building Inspector Leo Trudeau, left, explains to Select Board member Mark Chamberlain, center, and chair Bob Howe that a floor in Citizens’ Hall is sagging due to weakened beams. 

Lyndeborough Building Inspector Leo Trudeau, left, explains to Select Board member Mark Chamberlain, center, and chair Bob Howe that a floor in Citizens’ Hall is sagging due to weakened beams.  —STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID ALLEN

A commemorative town plaque created and donated by Lee Kempton. 

A commemorative town plaque created and donated by Lee Kempton.  —STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID ALLEN

By DAVID ALLEN

Monadnock Ledger Transcript

Published: 11-11-2024 12:41 PM

Structural stress on Citizens’ Hall is causing part of the building to be sagging at its foundation. At Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, Building Inspector Leo Trudeau explained the problem.

“Several beams under one end of the building are bending under stress. They’re old,” Turner said. He added that the space between the stressed beams and the ground is no larger than a crawlspace, requiring outside attention to the problem. 

An inspection of the building revealed the beams enduring the stress. The building dates from 1889, and the area of the building where floor is sagging houses the Police Department.

Team Engineering of Bedford has been retained to better understand the town’s options. 

In other news, a commemorative plaque crafted by long-time resident Lee Kempton now hangs in the first floor of Citizens’ Hall. Kempton used a wood-burning technique to create the town seal on a board and donated the work to the town.