HAZLETON -- The 40-year-old parking garage in Hazleton is showing its age.
The exterior has plenty of cracks and rust, and inside you can see a hole from a missing chunk of concrete from the parking deck.
"It`s not safe," said Alice Mahler, who lives near the garage on South Wyoming Street and walks by every day.
"My girlfriend had a car in there," said Mahler. "She said, 'I`m glad I got my car out of there. It looks like it`s ready to fall down.'"
It may not be that bad, but there are problems.
Among them: corroded electrical outlets, a fire alarm that does not work, and in the winter, icicles that dangle above cars and walkways.
"I`m concerned about people`s safety and property," said Hazleton City Council member Dave Sosar.
He worries more problems will surface before crews working on fixing them will finish the job.
That's why Sosar says everyone, including the 70 people who park there daily should consider staying away from the garage.
"I`d like to see it shut down," said Sosar. "I think it would be best for the safety of people."
"If it was dangerous, we would shut the garage down immediately," counters Dominic Yannuzzi, the project manager in charge of rebuilding the parking garage.
Yannuzzi says contractors are performing the work in stages, blocking off a few of the 210 parking spots at a time, while they repair parts of the facility.
"Drivers should be concerned and stay away from any areas that are cordoned off or barricaded off," said Yannuzzi.
After we told Yannuzzi about that hole in the upper parking deck, he called workers at the site.
They put up a barricade to guide drivers around it.
The renovation of the parking garage is scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer.