No preview available
 /
     
Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Eagan's Town Hall stays put, only better - 11/16/2014STARTRIBUNE.COM/SOUTH • SECTION N • SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014 Ea,gan I S Tomm Hall stays put, only better 5 n 1- r r History The City Council decided to restore the fire -damaged historic building, but not to move it to the municipal campus. By JESSIE VAN BERKEL jessie.vanberkel@startribune.com The 100 -year-old Eagan Town Hall, a wooden box of a building that was damaged by arson last year, will be restored to its original condition by next summer and remain at its current location. City officials considered two options last week: leav- ing the building at the corner of Wescott and Pilot Knob roads, where it has sat for a century, or moving the hall to the municipal campus across the street. The city has been grappling with the structure's future since the September 2013 fire. On Wednesday, a majority of council members decided that moving it across the street is not worth an additional $173,435. They supported cov- ering the $289,631 needed for a "bare bones" renovation and will ask civic groups to fund - raise for additional enhance- ments, like landscaping and air-conditioning. The tiny hall served as the city's central meeting place until 1965. In recent years, it has been a museum and stor- age facility. For many residents, includ- ing members of the Eagan His- torical Society who used the town hall for their operations, the white building with green shutters is a beloved piece of the city's heritage. "I personally have had great experiences making presen- tations about the history of Eagan to scout troops and indi- viduals," Ted Ringberg, a His- torical Society member, wrote in a letter to the City Council. "These people both young and old are just fascinated to learn what Eagan was like in the past and how it became what it is today. Not having the facilities See EAGAN on N4 ► for sale An oil painting by Larry Landis commemo- rates the 100th anniversary of the 1914 Eagan Town Hall. Prints are being sold, with pro- ceeds benefiting the Eagan His- torical Society. Page N4. City of Eagan