Renovations underway after fire at Greene County Airport’s administration building
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Renovations are underway at Greene County Airport’s administration building after a fire ripped through the control tower’s radio room March 24.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
The main hallway of the Greene County Airport’s administration building is hollowed out except for the wood framing that leads to the radio room, where the fire started March 24.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
The windows in the airport building’s radio room are either scorched or boarded up after the March 24 fire.
WAYNESBURG – Renovations are underway at Greene County Airport’s administration building a month after fire ripped through the control tower’s radio room.
The March 24 fire was contained to the circular room with a panoramic view of the airport runway, although smoke and water used to fight the blaze damaged other areas of the building and displaced the Airport Diner restaurant and the office of District Judge Glenn Bates.
The demolition and removal of ductwork, drywall, ceiling tiles and anything else damaged during the fire has been completed, and crews are now beginning to determine what must be done for the renovation work, Greene County Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall said. The cost of the repairs is still being negotiated by the county’s insurance carrier and Panhandle Restoration, which is performing the work. Marshall did not know when it would be completed or when the restaurant and magistrate’s office would be able to reopen.
“It’s going to be a while,” Marshall said.
The county commissioners approved an emergency declaration during their April 8 meeting, although Marshall said the restoration work began immediately after the fire. The renovations will take some time as the county reviews what local codes and disability laws have changed since the building opened in 1992, along with whether the building’s electrical work needs to be upgraded.
“The demo was basically to get rid of anything that had any damage or smoke,” Marshall said. “We’re working through the remediation process to see what local codes are in place compared to when it was first built.”
Since the fire, Bates and his staff have moved to the Greene County Courthouse and are using the third-floor courtroom to hear magisterial cases. Marshall said the county has told the restoration workers to focus on repairing the district judge’s offices and restaurant so they can return as soon as possible.
The main hallway of the building is hollowed out except for the wood framing that leads to the radio room. The windows in that room are either scorched or boarded up, and the basement sustained water damage. The restaurant’s dining room and magistrate’s office appear to be relatively unscathed, although Marshall said the walls have been sealed and painted with a primer to cover up any smoke damage.
“We’ve told them we expect the district judge and restaurant to be the priority,” Marshall said.
Trooper Eric Graham, the state police fire marshal who investigated the blaze, ruled the fire an accident. He said Monday the fire was caused by “spontaneous heating” of cleaning rags covered in chemicals left in the radio room, which he said was being used for storage at the time.