Old city hall to be maintained for future occupancy
Members of the Onaway City Commission decided that it would be better to maintain the old city hall building on State Street and prepare it for a possible future tenant than to remove the building and have another empty lot downtown.
The commission authorized LeCureux Masonry to perform the work, in part because of their experience working on older structures.
?He has looked at the building and it is not at the point of demolition,? said city manager Joe Hefele. LeCureux believes it definitely is worth repairing. LeCureux was in attendance at Monday?s city commission meeting to provide input and details of the project.
During previous discussions, some commissioners said it would cost considerably more to construct a new building on the site. ?I think we need to act, one way or another, on this building,? said Hefele. ?Leaving it sit unoccupied, and unheated, for a lengthy period of time will not do the building any good.?
LECUREUX HAS worked on other masonry buildings, notably the Catholic Church in Onaway and the Cheboygan Opera House, that had greater structural issues than does this building, said Hefele.
The city manager proposed the funds come from the courthouse rent pot. If the building is sold, or rented, the funds taken out for the project would be returned.
Hefele also preferred to not bid the project and cited three reasons. First, to bid and compare the project, the city would have to pay for an architect to draft a plan and bid documents.
Additionally, LeCureux?s experience working on older structures, and that he is an Onaway contractor, were two other reasons to have his firm handle the work.
A few years ago, a wall on the southwest portion of the building collapsed. Repairs were made and only leaking in the back portion of the structure has been noted.
Onaway State Bank conducted business in the building for many years before merging with Citizens State Bank. The city started conducting business in the building in the 1970s. City hall moved to the historic courthouse last summer.
?You never know quite what you?re going to get into when you start working on a building this old, but I believe Larry will be fair to us and do right by us.? The work will cost $7,260.
IN OTHER business: ? Glawe Inc. is making progress around Chandler Park, as the rock is now being found a bit deeper. This run, and the short run to The Hub, are the only excavations that remain.
? Local businessman Bobby Bischer appeared before the commission to provide information he collected about falling natural gas prices. They are at their lowest rate in two-and-half years, yet his latest Aurora Gas bill is as high as it has ever been. In looking at rates, Bischer said Aurora Gas is 30 to 40 percent higher than other utilities in the state. Bischer is the owner of Bobby B?s Pizza ad heats his ovens with natural gas. The commission will ask John Tierney of Aurora Gas to appear at a future meeting.
? A variance request made by Warren and Helen Trafelet to construct a 24-by-24-foot garage within two feet of their back lot line was approved following a public hearing. No citizens appeared at the meeting to comment on the issue. The zoning ordinance requires a 20-foot rear setback. The Trafelets? property is on the corner of Shaw and Oak, and abuts in the rear to an undeveloped 20-foot-wide city alley.
? There was animated discussion regarding past vehicle maintenance records. Hefele provided a format he plans to use to report future vehicle maintenance at t
Commissioner Jessie Palmer, who pushed for a better accounting of records, called recent reports ?pathetic.? Schmeltzer was an emphatic that the work be completed on a regular basis, adding, ?Is that too much to ask?? said Schmeltzer. Hefele insisted that the issue has been addressed with the DPW staff.
? A one-year lease with the Onaway Chamber of Commerce for a 132-square-foot nook at $40 a month was extended through October 31, 2007.
? The commission authorized the hiring of additional part time help for city hall. This will help rein in some of the overtime hours Kelli Stockwell has been incurring to keep up. She has been coming in early and staying later.