A remodel to modernize the top floor of the
The project is expected to begin with disassembly and moving of offices, and it should be completed in mid-October, with the Herald newsroom returning to the top floor of the building at 1275 Main Ave.
Public access through completion of the project – for people looking to come in to place an advertisement in the Herald, to renew a subscription or to personally contact Ballantine Communications Inc. – will be at BCI’s building at 162 Stewart St. in Bodo Industrial Park.
Staff members for the Herald’s advertising sales and Directory Plus, as well as BCI administration, and accounting and finance, will move to the Bodo office by the end of the week.
The Herald’s newsroom will be temporarily moved to the basement floor of the Herald building. The basement floor was remodeled in 2014.
The remodel of the main floor is the first major rework for the space since the Herald building was constructed in 1966.
Ballantine Development owns the building.
“We want to create a workspace that’s more conducive for the way we do business today versus when it was designed back in the ’60s. And we want to maximize space,” said Doug Bennett, CEO of Ballantine Communications Inc.
After moving offices this week, asbestos abatement will begin March 8, and it is expected to last six to eight weeks, after which the remodel of the upper floor will begin.
The new top floor will gain upgraded and modernized electrical and plumbing systems and more modern office space.
BCI will retain 3,600 square feet of space on the north end of the building, and at the south end, 3,200 square feet of office space with a separate entrance will be leased.
“It was time to renovate,” Bennett said. “The ceiling tiles were yellowed, and we needed to put more efficient lighting in with LED lights. We needed to improve the plumbing and modernize the office space.”
parmijo@durangoherald.com
