Agenda - Council - 07/28/2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Ramsey stated that if the old town hall is moved, it does lose its place on the historical registry and that is the only negative he could see. He suggested there are some citizens who would be willing to donate funds to work on that project. He added that the park across from the current City Hall would be a great place to put the old town hall. Councilmember McGlone asked if any TIF funds could be used for this project. Mr. Ulrich thought possible site preparation. Councilmember McGlone stated that moving it is one thing but questioned what its use would be at its new location — a coffee shop — a meeting hall? Mayor Ramsey stated it could be used for something — maybe a museum type facility. His initial thought was it should have been put in the Municipal Center parking lot and it could have been the Council Chambers. Councilmember Look commented on all the memorabilia in the glass case in City Hall and added that along with the old town hall this is more of a time capsule — a way to remember our roots. Councilmember Elvig stated that if the notion is to locate it in the park across the street and the well house is to the east - maybe we could butt the old town hall up to the well house and create something out of that. Staff could come up with some grand ideas. Councilmember McGlone asked how far we are planning to restore this. Ms. Nelson replied that we do have bids to restore it to its period; however, these are old bids so we would probably have to have it rebid. Councilmember Wise inquired where the money would come from. Mayor Ramsey felt it would be an amenity. Councilmember Jeffrey stated he supports moving it and feels the Town Center is the right spot — but he also supports giving the Park & Recreation Commission a shot at some ideas as well. If TIF money could not be used, he asked if there are any park funds that could help with this project. He stated he would like some history from where we were to where we are now and he commended Councilmember Look on that idea. Councilmember Look suggested maybe some contractors would be willing to invest some time, etc. into this project — this could be a way to mitigate some of the cost. Councilmember Wise stated he just does not want to see general fund dollars used on this. He was in support of the rehab of the building, etc. but doing it with creative financing resources. He expressed concern about even having administrative costs generated from this project. City Council Work Session - June 30, 2009 Page 9 of 17