Highland City Hall closed until further notice due to burst water pipe
Highland City Hall is closed until further notice after broken pipes and water damage occurred after Christmas.
City leaders discovered Dec. 24 a water pipe had burst, causing extensive damage to the interior of the building, according to Police Chief Carole Presson, who is acting city manager while City Manager Chris Conrad is out of town.
The water was immediately turned off, but significant damage had already occurred due to a water line above the lunchroom that had broken in multiple places, Presson said.
City business is being conducted from the new public safety building on Troxler Avenue during normal business hours, and the Highland Communications customer service representatives will operate from the HCS building on Woodcrest Drive.
No other information was immediately available about the damage or repairs. Staffers answering the phones could not estimate how long it will be until City Hall is open again.
“We appreciate your patience as we work through these issues and repair City Hall,” the announcement read.
People can still reach city workers by calling the regular number at 618-654-9891, which will redirect to staff working in the public safety building. The after-hours drop box for utility payments is still available.
The next city council meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3 due to the New Year holiday, and has been moved to the Highland Senior Center on Woodcrest Drive due to the closure of city hall. The second meeting of the month is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 17, due to the Martin Luther King Day holiday.
Presson said there is no estimate yet on the cost or time frame for repairs.
“We will begin the process of determining the extend of the damage on Tuesday (Jan. 3),” she said.
In the meantime, city leaders have met with the insurance adjuster and the crews who will begin the cleanup to assess the overall damage.
City workers said the problem at city hall is not related to the boil order issued Wednesday, Dec. 28, for some addresses on Lindenthal Avenue and Poplar Street.
A water main break at Poplar and Lindenthal was responsible for the boil order, and is currently under repair. Residents in that area will need to boil water for five minutes before use. No commercial businesses are located in the boil order area.