Agenda - Council - 04/23/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

City Administrator Hagen said this has not been determined yet. He shared the two logical funding sources are the park trust funds, which are restricted on how they can be used, or EDA funding. Councilmember Woestehoff asked if Councilmember Howell's suggested use for the building was to fix it up but not find a tenant right away. Councilmember Howell said she is open to whatever use would get this building fixed and utilized. She asked if they used park funds for this project to get the building into use if they would be able to replace these funds with EDA funds at some point. City Attorney Knaak said he would have to look into it to see if this would be allowed. He noted that private fundraising could be done to fund this project. Councilmember Olson shared his support for saving this building as he would hate to see the historic site go to waste and be torn down. He added that this year being the City's 50th anniversary is as good a time as any to do fundraising and restore the building. Councilmember Specht asked if the Ramsey Foundation would have any interest in assisting with this project. He suggested they could look for other private organizations that could partner in this proj ect. Acting Mayor Riley said they ask the Ramsey Foundation for a lot so he is not sure if they would be interested but it could be worth pursuing. He added that the City has spent money on this building to ensure it is not getting worse and can still be preserved. Councilmember Musgrove shared her support for trying to renovate the building to try to make it usable again. She added that this building is historic and adds to the character of the area. She noted that the previous administrator was passionate about restoring this historical site. She asked if there were any funding dollars currently available for this. Economic Development Manager Sullivan said no and explained that there was funding available a while ago; however, the funds ended up being used for a number of different uses. He shared that the door for the building needs to be updated. He asked if the Council would like him to go out and get some quotes for the door at this time. Councilmember Howell noted that this restoration will cost around 1% of the cost for the previous discussed project of The Waterfront property. Councilmember Specht said it would be nice if the new door maintained the character of the rest of the building. Councilmember Woestehoff shared that Youth First is looking for a new home so they may be an interested tenant for this building. City Council Work Session/April 9, 2024 Page 7 of 8