Will Barrington White House be ready for July 4 unveiling?
With just 30 days left until a July 4 public unveiling, work on the Barrington White House continues at a brisk pace, but project leaders say that the 117-year-old building will be ready for visitors when the time comes.
Crews have made many changes to the White House since the $6.1 million renovation began last July — replacing the roof, shoring up the building's sagging structure and adding geothermal wells deep under the building to keep energy costs down.
But according to project coordinator Beth Raseman, there is still much to do.
“The next four weeks are going to be transformational, inside and out,” Raseman said.
The task list includes finishing the exterior and interior painting, installing heating and air-conditioning, restoring the ornate wood features, installing the new elevator and moving in all the furniture.
But project manager Chet Busse of Pepper Construction is confident the work will get done.
“The next 30 days will be a lot of work, but we will be ready for the public,” Busse said.
Raseman said the skilled craftsmen that Busse oversees are a main reason the work has been done so quickly and so well.
“All of the workers ... they are just moving like crazy to get everything ready for the open,” Raseman said. “These are the top people, the contractors made sure the best people possible are working on this project.”
Raseman said one of the only aspects of the house that people won't be able to experience on July 4 will be the new carpeting, which doesn't arrive in the country until mid-July. The office space that community nonprofits are leasing on the second floor won't be ready either.
In recent weeks, the house's namesake white paint was removed because it contained lead, so sections of the house's wood siding alternated between being covered in tarp and being brown. Raseman said now that the tarp is off the community's interest has increased.
“I'm getting a lot more calls and texts from people saying, ‘Hey, it's looking great,'” Raseman said. “It's really exciting.”
The $6.1 million renovation project is being funded through community donations and grants and will be maintained by leasing out space to nonprofits and hosting weddings and other events. The White House is at 145 W. Main St.