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(Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette)
City manager Kurt Fritsch said Thursday morning that L. Robert Puschendorf of the historical society's preservation office "is not withdrawing" the society's position that West Ward Elementary is "potentially listable" on the National Register of Historic Places and that the city should consider "adaptively reusing" the 84-year-old structure.
Fritsch said that neither Puschendorf nor Jill Dolberg of the NHS have toured the West Ward building, suffering from disuse and a lack of maintenance and repairs since being sold by McCook Public Schools five years ago.
While the historical society cannot force the city to reuse or save the West Ward structure, Fritsch said, its recommendation precludes the city from using part of the federal government neighborhood stabilization grant awarded to the city to demolish it to make way for a new fire station, police department and city office.
The new 16,500-square-foot municipal facility is estimated to cost $1.9 million.
Fritsch said that not being able to use the federal grant does not mean that the city will not demolish West Ward. Other funding sources will be investigated to tear down the West Ward building, he said.
The $629,700 federal grant will be used to demolish the Romanoff building at the corner of Norris and B streets, three residential properties and a brick structure on West Third and A. The portion of the grant designated for the demolition of West Ward may be used to tear down and clear away other blighted properties, Fritsch said, explaining that these alternative sites will be recommended to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, through which the federal grant is administered.
The West Ward situation will be a topic of discussion at the city council meeting Monday evening.
Comments
Another example of the brilliant minds at the State Hysterical Society. I am 100% in favor of preserving historical architecture, but not at unreasonable expense. The individual quoted in this story from the Historical society has obviously not toured this building, nor is it likely he will. Yet for the city of McCook to get the green light to proceed, they have to get his stamp of approval. That's just outright stupid!
A similar-sized city in eastern Nebraska recently bought a former auto dealership built in the early 1970's, and converted it into a public safety center like McCook is wanting. Their original cost estimates were $1.75 million, but the final price tag ended up being close to $3 million! And that was for a building that was 40 years newer than West Ward!
The point being this; Mr. Fritsch and the council is on the right track to explore other options and make the fire/police station a new building.
The people that want to save old buildings should be responsible for the extra dollars needed to renovate them. Unelected individuals sitting in Lincoln who have never seen the building now make McCook taxpayers spend more money to meet McCook needs. Would these folks like us to tell them what they can or can not do with their property?