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RAMSEY TOWN HALL, Ramsey, Minnesota <br />dal <br />AM <br />The concrete stoop and steps that lead up to <br />the building have several cracks and are <br />uneven. It appears as if there has been some <br />patching between the steps and the building. <br />There are no hand railings. The building <br />entrance is not currently ADA accessible and <br />the steps are at the wrong rise and run for an <br />entrance. <br />Recommendations <br />Primarily, the pile of organic matter at the <br />entrance of the door should be removed. It <br />poses a health hazard. <br />The building should be outfitted with the <br />proper door and frame. In our research, we <br />learned that the original door was a French <br />door likely topped with a transom window. <br />We'd suggest that a similar door be installed <br />and painted in the same red that is used in <br />other areas on the exterior of the building. <br />The current concrete steps should be <br />removed and replaced with a system that is <br />ADA compliant. All steps should have uniform <br />riser heights and uniform tread depths. Risers <br />should be 4 inches (100 mm) high minimum <br />and 7 inches (180 mm) high maximum. Open <br />risers are not allowed. Treads shall be 11 <br />inches (280 mm) deep minimum. The radius <br />of curvature at the leading edge of the tread <br />shall be 1/2 inch (13 mm) maximum. Handrails <br />shall be provided on both sides of stairs and <br />ramps. <br />Additionally, slopes on the wheelchair ramp <br />should be at a 1:12 ratio which equals 4.8 <br />degrees slope (one foot of wheelchair ramp <br />for each inch of rise). A minimum of 5' x 5' flat <br />areas unobstructed should be at the top and <br />bottom of the wheelchair ramp with a <br />minimum width of 36 inches of clear space <br />across the ramp. <br />Brick <br />The facade is covered in a yellow Chaska brick <br />veneer. While there have been some repairs <br />to several sections of the facade; there are still <br />a few problem areas. On the front facade, the <br />use of plywood around the door caused gaps <br />in between the plywood and the brick. These <br />gaps gave us an opportunity to get a better <br />look at the wood structure without taking out <br />any bricks. <br />The North and South brick facades are <br />warping leading us to speculate that the metal <br />ties or other material attaching the veneer to <br />the wood has deteriorated, most likely due to <br />rusting from water exposure. Additionally, <br />because of the accessible gaps, there were <br />leaves and debris in between the wood frame <br />and brick facade. <br />There is some deterioration of the brick <br />caused by humans. Many of the bricks have <br />carvings and etchings. <br />Figure 10 —Accessible Gap Behind Brick <br />Figure 11— Carvings and Etchings in Brick <br />Ramsey Town Hall 4 <br />