Schulenburg Abandoning City Hall Renovation Project; Will Build New Complex Instead

The City of Schulenburg changed directions on their city hall renovation project.

The City had considered remodelling the historic downtown building that has housed City Hall since the early 2000s after some water intrusion problems were discovered last year. The City hired a forensic engineer, who discovered a major crack in one of the walls. Contractors removed the facade and uncovered the building’s masonry exterior which hadn’t seen the light of day in decades.

But now, after spending more than $100,000 on repairs with an estimated $3-5 million to go, the City Council has decided to abandon that path.

At a meeting on April 21, the Council discussed several alternative ideas, ranging from demolishing the structure to build a new City Hall at the downtown property, to purchasing a different property downtown, possibly the old Galipp’s Supermarket building on North Main St.

In an interview last Thursday, City Manager Tami Walker said the Council ultimately decided to go a different route – a new municipal complex on the north side of town to house both City Hall staff and the Police Department.

While planning the downtown renovations, Walker had proposed housing the police department together with City Hall staff.

“But parking started becoming an issue,” Walker said. “And also getting a layout that restricts both of us from planning for the future should Schulenburg see any growth in the next five to ten years. That being said, the Operations Director, Darryl Moeller, and myself were instructed by the Council to negotiate a piece of property.”

Walker said the Council is interested in purchasing three acres of property at the corner of Heinrich St. and East Ave. in the Mid-Cities Subdivision, located on the north side of town near Interstate 10. Walker said she could not disclose the asking price.

“It’s still negotiable,” she said.

Walker said the municipal complex would provide the City government with plenty of room for expansion in the event Schulenburg sees a growth spurt in the near future. Walker said she does not yet know how much the whole project will cost.

“Yesterday, I approved the hiring of a group to come in and do a study for us so we can determine how to meet our needs,” Walker said. “That’s really the beginning step. Whether we have property or not, we need some sort of assessment to know what kind of square footage we need.”

As for the downtown building, Walker said the Council wants to put it up for sale as-is. However, she plans to ask the Council to consider a bid for waterproofing the building before it goes up for sale. She said the work would cost about $15,000. An appraiser visited the building last Thursday to advise the City on an asking price.

“We like the downtown area and hate to vacate these buildings, but we know change is coming,” Walker said. “Some of us have a hard time dealing with change. But I think this is a good change for Schulenburg, by having a municipal complex. Now, it’s trying to find out what is feasible and spending the tax payers’ dollars very wisely.”