Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - The Richmond Office of the General Registrar building remains closed following the release of hazardous fumes and smoke due to a heating system malfunction last week.
The office announced that it would not hold early voting on Wednesday, Jan. 31 due to a failure of the building’s heating system. The fumes released as a result of the malfunction also resulted in the building being closed early the next day.
In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the city’s General Registrar Keith Balmer said first responders “arrived quickly to prevent further damage.” However, closure of the building was necessary to ensure the safety of staff and visitors.
While the building has been closed, early voting for the presidential primaries has been held at Richmond City Hall.
Crews have been working to fix the issue at the Registrar’s office, which is located on West Laburnum Avenue in Richmond’s Northside. Balmer said he and his staff plan to do extensive testing to make sure the air quality is not still hazardous on Tuesday, with hopes of reopening the building on Wednesday.
“This is all really just unfortunate,” Balmer told our partners at 8News. “But our hope is that we can return back to this office at some point this week.”
Balmer said that voters should keep an eye on the office’s social media pages for news on when the building will reopen.
“We also post it on our website. You know, not everybody has access to those things,” said Balmer. “So if voters do show up at our office, here, then you know the signs should direct them to City Hall.”
Early voting for Richmond residents will continue to take place at City Hall, starting at 8:30 every weekday morning, as well as Saturday, March 2.
