Pearl-Elm garage to get $18M rehab

Zachary Comeau The Pearl-Elm Municipal Parking Garage is in need of repairs, business and city officials say.

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By Zachary Comeau

The Pearl-Elm city-owned garage will undergo a complete $18-million rehabilitation project after continuous urging by Worcester business groups.

City Manager Edward Augustus announced the project Monday morning. Work is currently underway and is expected to last two years.

Upgrades will include full-scale structural repairs including new concrete and steel, upgraded decking, a new facade and new elevators and stairwells.

Also included are new security and fire protection systems as well as LED lights.

The garage is expected to remain open for use for the duration of the project.

“Making long overdue repairs and upgrades to the Pearl-Elm Garage is a priority as our city

continues to develop and evolve,” said Augustus. “Investing in a facility that is used by area businesses as well as visitors going to events at Mechanics Hall, the DCU Center, the Palladium and other destinations is vital to achieving a vibrant downtown.”

The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce in a January letter to Augustus, the City Council and Mayor Joseph Petty urged the city to tackle the project, saying elevators routinely fail and businesses can no longer rely on the garage.

Simultaneous to the letter, the city posted the project for public bid, Public Works Commissioner Paul Moosey told the WBJ in January.