vision2020
1912 MHS...an opportunity for community AND preservation
Dear Visionaries,
The Moscow School District and the City Council are, in good faith, trying
to come together and arrive at a sale of the 1912 MHS that majorities of
both bodies determined was a best use of their facilities and funds and
consistent with the missions and goals of each group.
The present position, as I understand it, is that the School District has
agreed to drop the hold harmless and related indemnification language
provided that the City (with private, donated funds per the City's
determination) conduct an environmental assessment and the assessment comes
out 'clean,' except for asbestos and lead paint. The School District has
further linked this to a mutual arrangement where the School District would
be permitted to do an environmental assessment on the White Avenue property
and should the assessment come out clean, the city would drop its
requirement of hold harmless/indemnity language so that the School District
and City could arrive at a purchase price for the property and the School
District could construct its storage/utility facility and new bus garage by
August, 1999, when the School District is to be out of the 1912 facility.
Joe Geiger and John Danahy are to be congratulated for crafting this
compromise which I think will satisfy both city and school district goals.
This will likely come before the City Council on June 22. It looks to this
council member as though this is a do-able arrangement but the council as a
whole must make that determination. It looks like a win-win to me because
both entities have need of the kind of space we are talking about: the
school bus garage is full to overflowing. One more subdivision and one more
bus route and they're over the line. The district really needs a maintenance
facility and bus garage...the $150,000 purchase price for the 1912 building
will help make this possible. The 1912 MHS is not satisfactory as a
storage/maintenance facility: it's far too valuable for other public uses.
While I realize that most (though not all) of the tax payers are the same
between the district and the city and I wish this had been a $1 deal, the
needs of the two entities are different. Community support for the purchase,
including lots of people who are not technically city residents, has been
terrific. This arrangement will allow the district to have a shot at what it
needs and the city to do the same.
Mike Sohn in his recent posting has suggested the building is "worthless"
and that $3 million plus would need to be spent for renovation. The building
is worth a great deal to the community as an important architectural and
historic landmark and for its location nad potential public uses. Like the
Old Post Office (now City Hall) 25 years ago was considered a 'white
elephant' and serious people suggested that the building be razed and the
land turned into a parking lot, the 1912 MHS is laboring with a lot of
misinformation and myth.
The building is basicly solid. The detail and interior are in great need of
refurbishing. New uses will require bringing the building up to code. In the
fall of 1996, the Mayor's Review Committee (a broad-based community
committee with architectural, financial and community expertise) produced a
comprehensive report on architectural and code considerations, possible uses
to meet existing city needs for space and community desires, and the
financial options that exist to meet the need for renovation. The estimated
costs reviewed by a collection of community architects and builders familiar
with estimating and renovation/reuse projects brought the cost in under $2.9
million, intentionally using high end estimates to avoid any charge of low
balling. This means that renovation costs for a state of the art, completed
30,000 square foot facility are less per square foot than new public
building construction costs, besides retaining the character of a fine old
building.
Once the city has purchased the building, the city is committed to reviewing
potential uses, in light of city and community needs. The original
resolution includes a time frame during which studies are to be conducted
and decisions made about the feasibility of future use of the building.
After a thorough review, if it is infeasible for the city to proceed with
development of the building, the plan is for the building to be offered for
sale with historic preservation strings attached. In the event that the city
cannot productively use the building and a purchaser cannot be found who
agrees to historic preservation constraints, the city's last resort is to
offer the building for sale, period. Those of us who have seen the potential
of this great building believe that the building is a responsible community
investment for the city, that it will bring projects for the arts,
recreation, senior citizens, families, youth and library technology to
fruition in Moscow...maybe not all at once but through phasing and with
careful planning, community support, and sensible financial planning.
I hope we can conclude the sale in the near future, with the additional
support of generous donors to pay for the environmental assessment. I also
hope that the 1912 MHS will have the kind of productive future in city hands
that it gave all the students and families from 1912 as a proud landmark of
Moscow.
Thanks for reading this rather wordy posting. I look forward to hearing from
others who see potential for the variety of community uses this great 30,000
square foot structure could serve.
Linda Pall
(City council and still vision 2020 listserve subscriber...)
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