The city of Salem is moving ahead with an overhaul of its Civic Center which will displace 166 employees for over a year starting next summer. Howard S. Wright, a Portland-based contractor was tapped to do the nearly $40 million Salem Civic Center seismic retrofit project, the company announced this week. The firm previously worked on two other major city builds: the retrofit of the Salem Public Library, completed in 2021, and the public works building which opened in 2023. The Civic Center is the headquarters of city government and houses the city council chambers, city manager’s office, municipal court and workers in planning, building, finance and customer service. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. The 50-year-old brutalist structure will get a seismic retrofit intended to make the building safer in an earthquake. The company said in a release that in addition to the retrofit and structural upgrades, the project will include extensive interior renovations to the building. “Our team will also carefully work to preserve the buildings’ over half a century of history while also providing upgrades to improve the workplace for the city’s workforce. We look forward to working with our owner, design team and trade partners to bring this project to fruition by providing a facility that will bring the heart of Salem city operations back to life,” said Ryan McGrew, Howard S. Wright senior vice president, in a statement.  The civic center project will be paid for by the infrastructure bond Salem voters passed in 2022.  The project includes replacing the roof and windows, repairing the parking garage and upgrading Peace Plaza. Construction would start in summer of 2025 and the building would be ready for staff to move back in by fall of 2026 or early in 2027. The building and design team also includes Portland-based Hacker Architects and Salem-based CB Two Architects, city spokesman Trevor Smith said.  Smith said the team is still currently working on the formal designs for the project. It may include improvements to make the council chambers more accessible and functional, he said. “The project will look at ways we can improve the customer experience and provide better signage and wayfinding tools to help visitors navigate the office complex,” Smith said. “The project may also include some improvements that are code required and fix ongoing maintenance issues while we have the walls and ceilings open.” Under state law, half of one percent of the construction budget must be spent on public art. Smith said project leaders will work with the Salem Public Art Commission to determine how the art funding will be spent. Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE – If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Contractor tapped for $40 million Salem Civic Center retrofit project appeared first on Salem Reporter.