Schulenburg Embarks on Multi-Million Renovation of City Hall

What started out as a water intrusion problem at Schulenburg City Hall has turned into a full-blown restoration project.

The building that houses City Hall at the corner of North Main St. and Upton Ave. dates the earliest days of Schulenburg’s history. It burned in the 1883 fire and was rebuilt in 1894. It was a bank for most of its history. A metal and marble facade was added more than 50 years ago, which covered up the old brick. City staff vacated the building more than a year ago after water intrusion caused some structural issues.

While working on repairs, the City hired a forensic engineer, who recommended removing the facade. That’s when they discovered a crack in one of the walls.

“We don’t have an official recommendation yet,” said City Administrator Tami Walker. “But we know there’s probably a need for more piers and to put in a metal plate (to support the compromised wall).”

Walker said she would like to preserve the historic exterior while modernizing the interior. The City has not utilized the second floor since it bought the building in and moved in around the year 2000 For decades the City Council has met at the council chambers in the old city hall, which is now the Schulenburg Police Department. Walker said the City could use the upstairs for a new council chamber, and the police need extra space in their building.

“It makes sense for city business to be handled at city hall,” she said.

But it’s going to take time and cost a lot of money. Walker gave a ballpark estimate of $3-4 million. Mayor Connie Koopmann said the project will likely take several years to complete.

“The cost is the biggest thing,” Koopmann said. “That’s why we’re going to take it in phases. We don’t want to burden taxpayers. It’s a big project, probably the biggest project I’ll ever see.”

In the meantime, City Hall Staff have moved into a building a block and a half away on Upton St. The City is in year one of a three-year lease for that building.

The alternative would be to sell the building for someone else to restore. Then the City would have to find land and build a new city hall elsewhere.

“Property in Schulenburg is hard to come by for what we need for city hall,” Walker said. “We like being the anchor of downtown.”

“It might take us three years, maybe longer,” Koopmann said. “It’s not going to be a fast-moving project. We want to make sure it’s done correctly.

“If we do it right, it should last 50 years or more,” the Mayor added.