Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Eagan's Town Hall will stay put - 11/16/2014Eagi
will
m's Town Hall
stay put after all
EAGAN from NI
to show people our history is
a great disappointment and a
feeling of failure to my com-
munity,"
Society members argued
that the hall should be more
accessible, though they were
split on which location would
work best.
Last year's fire left the build-
ing with smoke damage and a
hole in the roof. Some artifacts
were destroyed, though fire-
fighters salvaged many items,
including town maps, news
clippings and photos.
Sizing up costs
At a previous city discus-
sion of repairs in Septem-
ber, council members mused
that it will never be the same
building. But they agreed that
restoring the historical feel of
it is important.
"Now we have to put a dol-
lar value on feelings. That's
where it gets difficult," said
Council Member Paul Bakken.
He has pushed for minimal
spending on the project.
"Our community has other
capital needs that are much
more urgent," Bakken said.
Mohagen Hansen Archi-
tectural Group presented
detailed cost breakdowns
last week of the city's various
options. The firm estimated
that repairing the building
at its current location would
cost $289,631, and relocating
it to the municipal campus
brings the total to $463,066.
The additional enhance-
ments, like heat, spike the
price to $877,179.
The insurance coverage for
the hall has been used up pre-
serving the building over the
winter, Mayor Mike Maguire
said.
Maguire and Council Mem-
ber Meg Tilley supported
changing the location.
"I think moving it over to
the main campus would be an
enhancement to the campus,"
Tilley said. "I think it would
have more use and more vis-
ibility."
The town hall previously
got few visitors.
The Historical Society
hosts two open houses there
each year and will open it up
for scout troops and schools.
The society also used it as a
seasonal workspke and hoped
to get more mileage from the
building with the addition of
air conditioning, heat, lighting
and water.
Star Tribune file photo
The century -old Eagan Town Hall was severely damaged by an arson fire on Sept. 8, 2013.
City officials told Histori-
cal Society members they
will consider their needs along
with other groups' during a
space assessment discussion
next month.
Maguire suggested that
moving the old town hall
across the street to the munici-
pal campus, where there is a
police station, could prevent
arson.
"I'd hate to see it go up in
smoke again," he said.
The part of the campus
where it would be relocated
would not be much safer,
Bakken said. He noted that if
it remains where it is, `A deer
hunting camera and some
motion lights would probably
go a long way."
Moving the hall across the
street would free up the cur-
rent site for other uses, like
off-site parking to go with the
fire administration building,
which the city is trying to sell,
Maguire said.
People in the office man-
agement industry said the
additional parking would not
greatly increase the value of
the property, Bakken said.
In a survey of 400 city resi-
dents, 48 percent said they
wanted the city to leave the
hall at its original location and
46 percent supported moving
it.
Forty-five percent of survey
participants supported a fun-
draising campaign to cover
the cost, 25 percent opposed
funding anything beyond basic
repairs and 24 percent wanted
to use city money for improve-
ments.
The design of the project,
and possibly private fundrais-
ing, would occur over the win-
ter.
Construction is likely to
begin in April and repairs
should be completed by the
middle of next summer, said
Stephen Oliver, an architect
with Mohagen Hansen.
Jessie Van Berkel • 952-746-3280
Old Town Hall
prints sold as a
fundraiser
Local artist Larry Landis
painted a commemorative
image called "Old Eagan
Town Hall" for the build-
ing's centennial.
The city is selling 200 of
the prints on canvas for $120
each and paper prints for
$35. The profits benefit the
Eagan Historical Society.
Eagan began selling the
art in September and has
sold more than 20 copies
of each type of print, city
spokeswoman Joanna Foote
said. With many copies still
left, she encouraged shop-
pers to consider the piece.
"I think it makes a great
holiday gift for someone
with an interest in history,"
Foote said.
Prints can be purchased
at the Eagan City Hall
administration/finance
counter, 3830 Pilot Knob
Road, or by calling 651-675-
5038.
Landis' painting can be
seen on page NI.