Schulenburg Civic Center Needs Major Work After Water Leak Floods Facility
The Schulenburg Civic Center needed a major overhaul even before a water leak flooded the 10,500 sq. ft. facility last month.
The Schulenburg City Council began discussing renovations to the City-owned facility back in 2017. City Administrator Tami Walker said the building needed a new roof and metal wall panels at that time.
“But the City did not budget any money to follow through with it,” Walker said in an interview last Friday.
On Monday, Feb. 28, the City discovered a pipe in a water fountain that had burst over the weekend and flooded the building. The City hired the cleaning company Servpro to dry out the building.
“They did what they could to get the moisture out,” Walker said. They had to cut into the walls. We filed a claim with insurance, and they recommended redoing the walls and floors. We’re awaiting to find out what we receive back for the claim. Right now, we’re anticipating costs to replace what was damaged.”
The bill from Servpro was $14,000, Walker said. She didn’t know how much the interior renovations would cost. Furthermore, Walker raised concerns about renovating the interior when the City has put off needed renovations to the exterior for the past five years.
“The unfortunate part is notifying people who booked the facility, to let them know they’ll have to consider another location or cancel,” Walker said.
Schulenburg ISD had been using the Civic Center for oneact play rehearsals. It’s the only facility in town with a stage suitable for theater performance. Walker said the water leak disrupted their rehearsals. Schulenburg Hermann Sons was also using the facility for its youth dance program and had a recital scheduled there in May. The facility was also supposed to host academic, athletic and FFA banquets for Schulenburg High School. All of those events will have to find another site, Walker said. Moreover, the Civic Center has hosted numerous weddings, anniversaries, quinceaneras, reunions and other such events over the years. The facility is less expensive to rent than the Schulenburg KC Hall. It’s also much larger than other rental venues such as the Schulenburg American Legion Hall.
“You’re very limited with what’s available to you,” Walker said.
The City Council faces a big decision about what to do with the aging facility – or even whether it wants to stay in the event venue business. The Council is scheduled to discuss the future of the Civic Center at a meeting Monday night, March 21.