Ritchie Assists Ogdensburg with Installation of Energy Efficient Windows at Historic City Hall

State Senator Patty Ritchie has delivered $50,000 to the City of Ogdensburg to help offset the costs of installing new energy efficient windows at its historic City Hall, and allow the city to save money on its heating and cooling costs.

“Ogdensburg’s City Hall is a beautiful, historic building, but the key to preserving local history is finding the balance between old and new,” Senator Ritchie said.  “In working to upgrade the infrastructure of City Hall, we are guaranteeing the city can continue to hold on to its rich tradition and still make sure it is doing everything it can to keep money in the pockets of taxpayers.”

Two local companies, Whitton Construction and Northern Glass, are installing the new energy efficient windows on the front and side of the building most visible to the public. They are replacing original windows—nearly a century old—that in many cases were broken, worn, outdated, wasted energy, were costly to maintain and detracted from the building’s graceful appearance.

Senator Ritchie recently visited City Hall to see the progress and thank crews for their hard work.

This grant is the second round of funding Senator Ritchie has secured for the replacement of windows at City Hall. The first grant, $50,000 secured in 2013, allowed the city to replace 37 windows and this current grant is allowing it to replace 23 more.  When finished, the nearly half of the historic building’s 136 windows will have been replaced.

"The City of Ogdensburg is very grateful to State Senator Patty Ritchie for helping us to reduce heating costs at city hall," said Ogdensburg Mayor Wayne Ashley. "When you have a historic building that was constructed in 1929, it's important to find ways to hold down energy costs."

Senator Ritchie has arranged an additional grant for Phase 3 of the window replacement project, which is still subject to state agency approval. That grant would allow for an additional 23 windows to be installed, helping the city reach its eventual goal of replacing all 136 windows.

(In the photo, Senator Ritchie is joined by Dave Bullock of Russell and Chris Bullock of Edwards, two employees of Northern Glass, as they work on installing the new energy efficient windows at Ogdensburg’s City Hall)