Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Council considering selling Winsted city hall to preservation group



Or that may be what the Winsted Preservation Society is
thinking.

It was the consensus of the Winsted City Council at its
meeting Tuesday that City Administrator Aaron Reeves will put together an
agreement offering the old city hall to the preservationists for $1. Both
the council and preservationists would need to review the agreement.

The agreement will probably be for two years in which time
the building would revert back to the city if nothing is done to restore
the building, said Reeves. The city will most likely ask the society to
put up a performance bond that would cover the difference in costs between
present bids and new bids for demolition or restoration, he added.

Getting to that point was not easy.

At the May 2 meeting, it was agreed that the preservationists’
architects, Jason Weinbeck and Jeanne Sterner, would discuss their findings
with the city’s architects prior to Tuesday’s meeting. That did not happen.

In speaking later with Mary Weimiller of the Winsted Preservation
Society, she said that their architects contacted the city’s architect Bob
Russek of Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik and Associates, but he was advised
by the city’s attorney not to discuss the building with the preservationists’
architects.

Instead, Weinbeck presented their findings for the first
time at the city council meeting.

Apparently, a copy of the architects’ presentation wasn’t
given to the council prior to the meeting. Both Reeves and Mayor Floyd Sneer
said that it’s difficult to ask questions about material that was just presented
to them.

Weinbeck continued with his presentation..

“If rehabilitated properly, cost maintenance would
be the same, if not less, than a new building,” said Weinbeck. “With
little maintenance over 100 years, it has withstood the test of time.”

The heating costs would be less for a building with such
a thick exterior as opposed to a stick frame, he said.

Weinbeck said he had Mark McPherson, a specialist in masonry,
analyze the brick and said that McPherson found the building to be an excellent
candidate for repointing.

Weinbeck said he was told the total cost for tuckpointing
was $56,000 and pointed out that the city has obtained a grant for $50,000
for that purpose. Weinbeck also said the tuck pointing would last 50 years.

Bob Russek, an architect with Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik
and Associates, questioned a 50-year warranty on tuckpointing. (The city
previously requested the Bonestroo firm to do a study on remodeling the
city hall. This was also the third feasibility study the city had done on
the historic building.)

“I don’t know of anyone who would guarantee work for
50 years,” said Russek. “Structural warranties are typically for
10 years.”

The brick is very similar to that of the Delano library,
an historical building the Bonestroo firm restored, said Russek. The library
brick is soft and needed maintenance within five years, he said.

Russek said that he didn’t study the city hall in detail,
but is basing his answer on his experience with the Delano library.

Weinbeck replied that he has seen countless studies on
repointing and has actually seen guarantees for 25 years.

The cost Weinbeck gave per square foot was $77.60, but
Reeves and Russek pointed out that that amount was not based on having to
redo the basement, break out floors, lay new concrete, and reinforce the
footings which would be necessary to house a library.

Russek said the preservationists’ plans do meet all the
space needs, however, the library is only 20 percent of the useable space.
Since another grant for $200,000, which the city has obtained, is for a
library, he said it probably wouldn’t apply to this plan.

Reeves agreed. “This would be making city hall handicapped
accessible, not a library,” he said.

The grant was applied for with the atrium style library
that the Bonestroo firm designed, Reeves said.

Weinbeck said that the grant could be rewritten.

Reeves said yes, but there would be no guarantee that the
city would get $200,000 again. The library space is less, so the amount
of the grant may change, he added.

Weinbeck referred to other historical buildings that have
been restored, such as the Dakota County Courthouse and the Hastings City
Hall.

“Is it fair to compare Hastings to Winsted?”
asked Sneer. “It’s the contingencies that scare me.”

Sneer then asked to close discussion and move on. However,
at that point, civil discourse was temporarily abandoned and name calling
and shouting took its place.

The room quieted when Sneer said he would sell the city
hall for $1 and the preservation society can fix it up.

Virginia Hosum, attorney for the preservationists, asked,
“Is the city seriously considering an offer for $1?”

City council member Jeff Albers said, “I’m not against
the idea, but I still want to go through with this hearing.”

(A hearing for a temporary restraining order not to demolish
the building was scheduled for the next day. See related story.)

Apologies were exchanged later in the meeting for the earlier
outburst.

“I don’t take any of this personally. Even though
we don’t agree, I hold no ill will towards you,” said Albers.

Peggy Lenz of the Winsted Preservation Society reiterated
the same.


Judge Terrence Conkel told the City of Winsted at a May
17 temporary restraining order hearing in McLeod County Courthouse, Glencoe,
that it must refrain from demolishing the old city hall until he reviews
all files and issues a written order.

The Winsted Preservation Society is seeking the restraining
order to stop the city from destroying the city hall until their lawsuit
comes to trial. The society filed suit to obtain a permanent injunction
in efforts to save the building.

Virginia Hosum, attorney for the preservationists, said
at a later time, “We are pretty confident that we will get the temporary
restraining order. The city’s arguments are novel and never recognized by
court before. They are arguments that need to be sorted out in a trial.

City Administrator Aaron Reeves later said that he was
disappointed that Hosum had asked for a November court date. Reeves said
that he was under the impression that they would be willing to fast track.

In speaking with Hosum, she said that if the city would
have agreed not to demolish the building until the lawsuit is heard, then
the society would be on a faster pace.

“If we get a temporary restraining order, then we’re
not in a big rush any more,” she added.

The city wants a July court date, but Hosum said that even
if the society was on a fast track, they could never be ready by July. Depositions
of council members and experts and preparation of briefs could not be done
in that small of amount of time.

George Hoff, who is representing the city through the League
of Minnesota Cities, said,”Both parties put forth arguments essentially
contained in their briefs. The city’s position is well-founded in law and
fact, and we are hoping the court agrees with our request for an expedited
trial so we can get this issue resolved.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.