Bids Sought for Schulenburg Civic Center Repairs
The Schulenburg City Council instructed staff to seek bids for repairs to the Civic Center at a meeting Monday, March 20.
A water line burst inside the building late last month and flooded the structure, damaging the floor and walls. Numerous events that were to take place inside the Civic Center had to be canceled or rescheduled. Before repairing the inside, City Administrator Tami Walker told the Council that the City needs to first address long-delayed repairs to the roof and exterior walls.
“It’s hard for me to sit here and focus on the interior when we have an exterior problem,” Walker said at Monday’s meeting.
The Civic Center was constructed in the early 1980s. City Operations Manager Darryl Moeller said the exterior wall on the west side of the building is rusting near the foundation.
“On the roof, the paint is coming off,” Moeller said. “The roof is 40 years old. It’s pretty much run its life-cycle out.”
Walker told the Council that the City received a quote in 2017 from Hayworth Roofing to replace the roof and exterior metal panels for about $68,000. Walker anticipated that the cost would be much higher today.
“It would be a shame just to tear it down,” said Councilman Larry Veselka.
Walker said the Council should also consider replacing the doors. She said the doors are so old that the City has had a hard time finding replacement parts.
“It’s like flipping a house – one thing leads to another and the cost could continue to go up,” Walker said.
Walker said she does not believe the building’s electrical or plumbing systems will need any upgrades. However, she suggested eliminating the restrooms in the backstage area due to past maintenance issues. Councilman Clarence Ahlschlager, a retired City employee, recalled numerous troubles with the backstage restrooms. He also recommended eliminating them.
Walker anticipated that the City would receive about $28,000 from the insurance claim for the water leak. When the check arrived on Monday, it was for only $15,626.88. The cost to clean up and dehumidify the facility was over $14,000, leaving little to cover damage to the flooring and walls.
Veselka asked whether the City could apply for grant funds to help pay for the building. Walker said the Civic Center is designated as a disaster shelter. She said the City had applied to the Texas General Land Office for Hurricane Harvey hazard mitigation funds to rehab the building after the 2017 storm, but those funds ended up going to Harris County. Walker said she would look into other grant opportunities.
Walker said she would return to Council at the next meeting with bids for the roof, walls and interior repairs. Veselka proposed using some of the City’s reserve funds to pay for the repairs.