A major emphasis point for new Auburn Mayor Mike Ley is that he wants residents within the city to know, and understand the door to his office always is open.

While that may be on the metaphorical sense, that is exactly the case right now for Ley as he cannot close his door to his office at City Hall because settling of the ground and facility, which has left a wide gap between the latch and the frame.

Ley showed this problem, and several others to Auburn Common Council members Tuesday evening and explained the need to rebuild the east wing of City Hall that houses his office and the quarters of the clerk-treasurer and utility billing staff.

In some places, the settling has left a gap between walls and the floor. The most dramatic example of damage is the pressure from settling caused a concrete block to fall from the wall of a room the city uses as a safe for storing records.

In the coming weeks, Ley said he will ask the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety to send out requests for engineering firms to develop plans to stabilize and remodel the office wing.