Replacing the floor of the Yachats Commons’ multipurpose room hit a snag this week, stopping work on the project until March.
As contractors removed the top flooring in the room on Monday vinyl tiles underneath it pulled up. That meant the new floor couldn’t be installed over the old tiles without voiding warranties on it.
But to remove the old tiles the city has to get them tested for asbestos – a process that takes 2-3 weeks, said facilities manager Heather Hoen.
The tiles had been glued down onto the room’s original hardwood floor in the 1970s.
The floor is being replaced because the current one installed in 2013 began failing.
Mike Powell of M. Powell Design and Construction also said he needed three to four weeks to remove the old flooring and install the new surface. The city had originally planned to have it done by Saturday, when the Yachats Community Presbyterian Church had scheduled its annual winter dinner and concert. That event has been moved to the church.
Hoen said contractors installed the new floor in the closet this week and covered the small portion of exposed tile in the multipurpose room with plywood and a rug. That will allow the Yachats Academy of Arts & Science’s lecture to proceed as planned at 2 p.m. Sunday and regular scheduled weekday events to resume Monday.
Hoen said she currently plans to re-schedule the floor installation during the first three weeks of March, finishing in time for an annual Spring Break arts and crafts fair March 23-24.
