Agenda - Council Work Session - 03/25/2025

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2. 1. CC Work Session Meeting Date: 03/25/2025 PrimaryStrategic Plan Initiative: Create a positive image for residential neighborhoods, business districts and key g corridors. Information Title: Old Town Hall Discussion - Next Steps Purpose/Background: Council Members Specht and Buscher asked for this item to be brought to City Council Work Session for discussion. The purpose of this case is to discuss future action for Staff relating to the Old Ramsey Town Hall Current Plan/Status The Council has not directed staff to pursue renovating and/or re -opening the Old Ramsey Town Hall. Council direction is to continue general maintenance as necessary to ensure it does not deteriorate. The building is secured from elements and pests. Next Steps Consensus by Council to Re -Open Old Town Hall Based on previous discussion with the Council the biggest obstacle to finish the renovation of the Old Town Hall is funding. A secondary obstacle is determining how the space could be used. The general consensus of the City Council has been that it would be "nice" to restore and use it but specific funding source has not been able to be identified. Below are some funding sources that the City could try to tap into to complete the renovation/historic preservation of the Old Town Hall that were provided by Council member Buscher and briefly reviewed by Staff. At this point Council consensus is to maintain Status Quo. Federal Grants and Programs • National Park Service — Save America's Treasures (SAT) : A competitive federal grant for preserving nationally significant historic properties. SAT grants range from $125,000 up to $750,000 and require a dollar -for -dollar non-federal match (Save America's Treasures Fact Sheet). Only properties listed on the National Register at the national level of significance or as National Historic Landmarks are eligible. Applications open annually (recent rounds in summer with fall deadlines), and funds can cover restoration of historic buildings. Example: Taunton, MA secured a $250,000 SAT grant to restore its historic city hall (Save America's Treasures - Wikipedia). • National Trust for Historic Preservation Grants: The National Trust (a nonprofit) offers multiple grant programs for preservation. Most are small grants (often $2,500—$15,000) geared toward planning, education, or seed money for preservation projects (Historic Financial Assistance I Northfield, MN - Official Website) (this Northfield page offers so much information on historic financial assistance grants) (Find Funding: Grant Programs from the National Trust I National Trust for Historic Preservation). Eligible applicants include nonprofits and public agencies, typically with a required match. Deadlines occur three times a year (Feb, June, Oct) for the National Trust Preservation Funds. • Other Federal Programs: The City can also seek federal funding through programs not exclusively for historic preservation: