JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

GIS/CAD technician Amy Meadows works in her office at the Blacksburg Municipal Building next to boxes that are ready to move to the new offices at the former Blacksburg Motor Co. Initially, the move-in was planned for May 15 but that was later delayed to June 5 and then put on hold again.

MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Jason Sage, a member of Blacksburg's horticulture staff, tends to one of the hanging baskets in front of the Blacksburg Motor Co. building on South Main Street.

A lamp here, some potted flowers there and maybe the addition of a small aquarium.

"I really want to make it such a welcoming place," said Thomsen, office manager for the planning, building, engineering and geographic information systems departments. "I want it to be a place that someone is comfortable going into."

Thomsen's new desk will be on the first floor of the Blacksburg Motor Co. building and will serve as the first point of contact for the public.

But exactly when Thomsen and some other town employees will be able to settle into their new digs is not known.

Last month's downpours delayed for a second time the reopening of the building that will house the town's planning, building, engineering and GIS departments.

Groundwater seeped into the basement level of the building, and crews have worked since to remedy the problem. A new move-in date into the historic building at 400 S. Main St. has yet to be scheduled.

In the meantime, town employees have been readying for the relocation by boxing up documents, decorations, supplies and project plans that will head with them to the new building. Even though some employees are in a maze of cardboard now, they haven't packed away their enthusiasm for moving into the building.

"I'm so excited to move over there," Thomsen said. "It's going to be such a great place to go."

At the building, prior to the heavy rains, there had been some basement water leaks through the walls where the old construction had cracks. The cracks were sealed, and it eliminated groundwater coming into the building through the walls of the basement, said Adele Schirmer, who is the project manager and the town's engineering and GIS department director.

After the May rains, groundwater came up through the floor slab in the joints between the old concrete and new concrete, creating puddles in the floor in the basement, Schirmer said.

A sump pump has since been installed, along with the addition of trenches that have been dug in the basement floor. The four trenches, which vary in length from 5 to 15 feet, are used to direct any groundwater to the sump pump, Schirmer said.

Work on the building now includes re-pouring the concrete floor in the basement over the trenches and refinishing the floor surface, she said.

Initially, the move-in was planned for May 15 but that was later delayed to June 5 and then put on hold.

The departments that will move are now on the third floor of the nearby Municipal Building.

"We just don't want to move over into the building until all the work is complete," Schirmer said.

Town officials are still assessing what the final costs will be with the additional work, she said.

The town bought the building in 2007, and the total project cost is $3.5 million. The building also features energy-conservation technology, such as motion-sensor lights in rooms and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Built in 1924, the site has been a gasoline and oil distribution center, car dealership, radiator and glass shop, and a tire store and garage.

Because the property was the site of former underground gas storage tanks, Schirmer said that the water that is directed to the sump pump goes through a special treatment process. The process includes a filter that removes any petroleum products that may be in the water and then the treated water goes into the sanitary sewer lines.

Schirmer said the predicament with the building has proved beneficial in some ways.

"Actually it's been a blessing because we're really fortunate that the heavy rains and high groundwater conditions occurred before the project was finished and we moved in."

When the move takes place, it will take no more than two business days. Movers have been hired so that the process will be done as quickly as possible so there will be minimal disruption to service, Schirmer said.

In the departments that are moving, boxes are already stacked up or set aside by desks ready to haul.

Trish Basham's view from her desk is now obstructed a little by a column of cardboard boxes containing items from her office. The building permit technician said it would be nice to have a move-in date. Until then, she maneuvers her way by the boxes to help a customer and thinks about how nice it will be to work in the new building.

"The building is just awesome I think," Basham said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

Town employees have also used the packing time to tidy up.

"It's also been a great time for us to go through things so we don't move things that we really don't need," said Blacksburg's planning and building director Anne McClung. "I think it's been a good sorting and prioritizing exercise."

James Higgins, water resources inspector for the town, has packed up his files but keeps some folders handy for ongoing projects. His new office will be in the basement, and he said he's glad to see the historic building reused to benefit the public and town employees.

"It'll be worth it when it's finished," Higgins said.