Archived Story
Options presented for Memorial Hall funding
Published 9:41am Wednesday, June 13, 2012Turning Memorial Hall into an Emergency Operations Center could cost the county between $33,000 to $20,000 a month for the next 20 years, if the county commissioners adopt one of five options presented to them.
Commissioners Bill Pratt and Freddie Hayes met at the Tuesday work session with Ralph Kline of the Ironton-Lawrence County CAO, architect Shawn Walker and representatives from the county’s emergency services.
Three weeks ago Kline was charged with coming up with financing scenarios to turn the aging 19th Century structure, owned by the city of Ironton, into a viable heart for emergency operations.
The county has been eyeing the property to turn it into a headquarters for EMS, EMA, 911 dispatching and the county coroner. Right now those operations are separated in buildings that no longer meet their needs.
In May Carl Howard of Mi-De-Con Inc., a commercial construction firm, said the building could be restored for a cost of $3.7 million.
That compares with an opinion given earlier from Shawn Walker, an Ashland, Ky.-based architect, who estimated restoration could cost approximately $3 million. However, a study done in 2007 by E.L. Robinson Engineering stated the cost for restoration would hit $7 million, while tearing it down would cost about a half-million dollars.
All proposals are for a 20-year period and after that the county would assume ownership of the building.
Pratt told the group he favored two of the proposals. Under Option 2 the county would issue bonds to borrow $3,753,000 offsetting the monthly funding cost by leasing out a portion of the building. With tenants that monthly payment would be $29,167.
Monthly cost also includes utilities, insurance, janitorial services and payment to a fund to cover replacement costs of such items as the roof.
After relocating the emergency agencies to Memorial Hall, there would be 3,500 square feet available to lease out, which Kline said a going annual rate would be $15 a square foot. That would mean until tenants were found it would cost the county an additional $4,375 a month.
Option 3 would depend on the county receiving a $2.5 million homeland security grant. Then the county would only borrow $1.85 million with $20,417 as the monthly payment. This option would also include tenants. The county won’t learn if it has won the grant until June 29.
“I would be partial to Option 2 or 3, preferably 3,” Pratt said. “I think we need to wait until the 29th of this month. … We need the city to provide us with water and sewer. … Don’t forget we are saving the city a $250,000 problem.”
Pratt was referring to what he said would be the cost to demolish Memorial Hall.
After the meeting, the commissioner said he would like the free water provided for the 20-year payback period and would approach Ironton City Council on Thursday about the request.
“I would have to talk with Commissioner Pratt,” Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship said when contacted about the request. “I have not talked with him regarding that. There is no way to determine what the cost would be in there. (It would depend on) how many people would there be.”
The most expensive proposal would be with the county issuing bonds of $3,753,000 but not renting out space. That would be a monthly cost of $33,542.
In the two remaining options, the county would not have to borrow any money, but would be in a lease-purchase arrangement with a third party. If the building had tenants, the monthly cost would be $32,083. Without tenants and with a syndicate that had historic tax credits for the building, the monthly cost would be $20,417.
“It would be one year to make sure we could get the tax credits,” Kline said. “It is competitive. I really caution this is a small project. A lot don’t want anything under $10 million.”
The commissioners will meet again on the Memorial Hall project at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 3. At that time County Auditor Jason Stephens is expected to present data on the current utility costs of the emergency departments at their current locations.
“I wanted the auditor’s office to examine the utility expense for the EMA, 911 and so forth to see what their utilities are now, to see if it matches what Ralph (Kline) has for the utility expenses (in the proposals,)” Pratt said. “Hopefully by July 3, we will know about the grant if we got approved for that.”
Well at least concerned citizen has the right idea. The idea of fixing up that historical dump is beyond comprehension. There are better ways to build a new Emergency Dispatch Center at half the cost, 3 million bucks, OMG. Ironton is broke, Lawrence County is not far behind, spending money on that old building would show how silly our County and City leaders are, oh did I say without common sense,…..
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? Payment to a fund to cover the roof. A new metal roof should last over 30 years easy.
Lease out part of the building that has little parking. Sure that plan has really been a goldmine for the City of Ironton and it’s City Building.
The City should give them a break on the water or other charges for taking over the project. But that should have been talked with the Mayor before bringing it up in a meeting.
Still spending money the County does not have. Only to be paid back at a later time by people in the future.
They seem to be covering all the costs and monthly expenses but not what will be done with the old buildings that are being combined into Memorial Hall. More money the county does not have.
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Excellent work gentlemen, you have been thinking, assessing, and coming up with ideas that will benefit the county, the city of Ironton, and preserve a wonderful historic structure. Bravo!
Put those feelers out to see what kind of interest is out their for leasees. They may want to know of any interference from the county services if they opened a store or gift shop, where the entrances will be, etc.
Partnering with the university or an art center to hold community classes or sell locally made art might be nice or Bill Dingus may have some ideas for a business incubator that could be initiated with economic grant funds. An incubator would benefit everyone in the county and particularly those wanting to start their own business.
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Enough is Enough… This building is going to be nothing but a money pit. You could build a new structure just the size that is needed for a fraction of the cost of the renoavtions needed on this building. Not to mention that Ironton needs to look to the future and not keep living in the past. Look at the cities that are around us they do not keep wasting money to renovate an old outdated building because they are stuck in the past. They build new modern buildings that meet their needs and look modern. You really have to remember that to renovate an old building like this really cost a lot more than new construction. LETS LOOK FORWARD TO A BRIGHT FUTURE INSTEAD OF KEEP LIVING IN THE PAST.
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