By CRAIG FREILICH

NORWOOD – The $350,000 upgrade to the Norwood Municipal Building is about 25 percent done, according to Mayor James McFadden.

The work will improve the look, the usability, the accessibility and the efficiency of the building.

The mayor says the construction committee is working out the details of installing the new boiler and kitchen.

“The insulation is all done, so now we’re getting into items that will show,” McFadden said. “We’re working on the kitchen so the building can be used as a community center again.”

He said in the last few years health authorities have been cracking down on public events where food is served if the kitchens used aren’t approved.

“On New Year’s Day, Norwood Kiwanis planned an event at St. Andrew’s Church, but it was cancelled” because the kitchen there had not been approved. If the event was a St. Andrew’s event, there would have been no problem, McFadden explained, but since it was an outside organization using the church facilities, it falls under the stricter requirements.

The new kitchen in the Municipal Building will be certified by health authorities, McFadden said, “so there will be no problem with our own events and other organizations will be able to come in and use it.”

The new boiler will be a more efficient source of heat than the old one. The improvements include a handicapped-accessible elevator.

The money for the work comes from a loan and grant package of nearly $350,000 through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Work will also be done to improve the outside of the building. “It will be very appealing, aesthetically,” McFadden said.

He said the work will be completed by June 15.