Delano Herald Journal

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

Demolition plans move forward for former Werner building



Plans are moving forward for the demolition of the former
Werner Hardware building on Howard Lake’s main street.

The building’s future has been a source of controversy
for the past few months.

The city, which owns the property, wants to tear down the
old building and build a new structure as part of a Highway 12 streetscape.

Opponents of the project claim the building has historical
value and should be refurbished.

The building is not on the Register of Historic Places,
although it was built prior to 1900.

Mike Deutz, a developer from St. Joseph, posted a large
sign outside the building Wednesday, Oct. 25 soliciting office space and
apartment rentals for next year.

The sign was meant to be placed on an empty lot, since
the original plans called for the demolition of the building by the first
of October, Deutz said.

The demolition didn’t happen because of objections by some
residents, including Pat and Molly Van Oss, who successfully persuaded the
city council to wait 30 days, even though the council made it clear that
it still planned to continue with the demolition. The Van Osses own the
Old Towne Gallery located across the street from the Werner Hardware building.

The 30-day reprieve happened at a bad time during construction
season, as well as for financing, Deutz commented.

Currently, Deutz has signed a letter of intent with the
city about the building and has completed a preliminary tax increment financing
application.

It is possible for Deutz to walk away from the deal since
no other contracts have been signed. However, Borglund indicated that Deutz’s
intentions are true and the city expects the process to move forward.

Legally, Deutz must submit his plans to planning and zoning,
including how the building will look, which is then formally approved or
rejected by the city council, said Doug Borglund, city administrator.

As part of the agreement, the new building will be “small
town, old style,” Deutz said. “It will fit into main street.”

The construction there will be the first time that Howard
Lake has seen new construction on main street since 1983, Borglund said.

The new building should actually look a great deal like
the Old Towne Gallery building owned by the Van Osses, Borglund said.

The project will take three to four months to complete,
Deutz said.

Ted Schmitz, who is a developer associated with Shoreline
Drive in Howard Lake, initially referred the City to Deutz, Borglund said.

Opponents claim that the building should be restored as
an enhancement to downtown.

“Things happen very fast here with a bulldozer,”
Molly said.

The Van Osses have large black curtains hanging in the
windows of their business, the Old Towne Gallery, with signs reading: “Mourning
the imminent demolition of our historic neighbor, the Rausch Store.”

At the last council meeting, members pointed out that nothing
was done in secret about the building and that the process actually took
eight months.

Another issue is the building’s structural integrity.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation evaluated each
building along Highway 12 to prepare for the reconstruction work next summer.
It gave the worst report possible, according to Mayor Gerry Smith at the
meeting.

In its report about the Werner building, MnDOT expressed
strong concerns about the building being able to withstand the construction
around it.

“The basement walls are falling in,” Deutz said.
In addition, there is asbestos contained in the building and this poses
a health threat, he said.

If all goes as planned, the new office space will contain
5,000 square feet of space on the main floor and four two-bedroom apartments
above. The new building will be ready for occupancy by the end of next summer,
Deutz said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.