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Follow on Google News | JP Maguire Associates Restoring One Of Bethel's Most Historic Buildings Destroyed by FireJP Maguire Associates has begun restoration of a 177-year old building in the historic district of Bethel, CT. Due to the historic building's immediate proximity to the street, it had to be demolished piece-by-piece and by-hand to be rebuilt.
By: JP Maguire Associates Jim Maguire, founder, and owner of JP Maguire Associates stated, "Eight families became homeless, and several businesses were displaced. It took more than 100 firefighters from several volunteer fire departments three hours to extinguish the fire." Ten adults and five children escaped with the help of three policemen who crawled through heavy smoke. Bethel Volunteer Fire Chief Scott Murphy commented that the construction methods used in 1840 were so outdated there were voids in the walls that allowed firefighters to "rip down ceilings and walls with their hands to get to the fire. Thankfully the fire did not spread to the adjacent Opera House." Hired by the buildings' owners, family members Judy Staib and Micheal Norkowski, JP Maguire Associates began the predicted eight-months- "We then needed to secure the building from further damage from the elements and prevent anyone unauthorized from entering the building. These are called 'emergency services' in the insurance industry and a service JP Maguire provides 24/7 anywhere in Connecticut. This service is required by most insurance companies, policyholders have an obligation to mitigate the damage immediately." JP Maguire Associates then removed the tenants' personal property. 'Unfortunately, most of it was too damaged to be salvaged or cleaned. In many instances, we can clean clothing, furniture, and other personal items at our facility. "The cleaning process removes soot and smoke smell making it virtually impossible to tell that the clothing, furniture or personal property were in a fire. These services are paid for under a policyholder's content coverage. Unsalvageable items are 'totaled' and the policyholder works with their insurance company to put a value on these items for reimbursement. "After all the personal property was removed, we removed the interior walls, ceilings, carpeting etc. While fire and smoke cause tremendous damage, the damage a building suffers from water can be worse if the building not dried correctly. Aside from structural damage, mold could form within a few days causing a significant health hazard." At that point, work temporarily stopped until the insurance company's adjusters determined the cost of the damage which Glasser reported, "due to the extensive damage, the building was 'totaled.' Having been in one family for over 140 years the family chose to rebuild, the challenge was how. "Due to the building's age and condition, it needed to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. But, because the building is attached to another building and the buildings are immediate to the avenue, the building could not safely be torn down with a machine. JP Maguire tore it down piece-by-piece by hand to reconstruct the building to house two commercial properties plus four two-bedroom apartments. JP Maguire Associates has been conducting disaster cleanup and damage restoration services across Connecticut since 1982. They offer 24/7 statewide emergency services and are prepared to respond within one to two hours of an emergency via personnel and equipment strategically positioned across the state. A Better Business A+ rated company's services include restoration of commercial and municipal properties, private homes, and buildings due to fire, flood, water damage and biohazards. Their highly-trained, certified professionals board up, tear down and reconstruct damaged buildings; clean up death, crime and trauma scenes; remove and abate mold and asbestos. In the 1970s Jim Maguire began his business as an electrical contractor and home builder. He partnered with his brother Tom, and they began painting for a restoration cleaning company. They created a network of insurance adjusters and acquired a notable quantity of insurance-related work allowing the size, geographic reach, and complexity of the brothers' services to grow. After Tom Maguire left the company to pursue real estate development and home construction, Jim Maguire began JP Maguire Associates in 1982 as a sole proprietor utilizing employees and subcontractors. Until 2001, the business was only a reconstruction contractor, which left the cleaning and mitigation work to other companies. In 2002, Jim Maguire expanded the business from their 7,500 square foot facility in Newtown to a 37,000 square foot facility in Waterbury, CT. This location serves as corporate headquarters for rapid dispatch of personnel for disaster cleanup needs plus a mitigation, cleaning, restoration, and storage facility. Today, JP Maguire Associates employs a thoroughly-trained, experienced staff of 60 to handle damages to schools, institutions, commercial and private properties, apartments and other facilities. Utilizing state-of-the- Jim Maguire commented, "For our employees, this is more than a job, it's a lifestyle. We are large enough to handle all of our clients' problems and small enough to care. Our company slogan is, "Just make it go away….We can." In 2016 the company was recognized as a "Top Work Place" by Connecticut's Hearst Media Services. For information call 877-JPMAGUIRE (877-576-2484) End
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