Willmar council continues to struggle with city hall decision

Dec. 7—WILLMAR

— The

Willmar City Council

on Nov. 13 heard additional options from architect and design firm

BKV Group

for a new city hall, including renovation of the

Willmar City Auditorium

and two site plans for Block 50.

This led to a lengthy discussion regarding the potential uses for the City Auditorium other than a city hall and the council's unwillingness to give up for development the large downtown parking lot that is located in Block 50.

The Willmar City Auditorium is a historic building constructed during the Works Progress Administration in 1936 and 1937 and located at 311 Sixth St. S.W.

For several years, the city has been contemplating ways to save the historic structure. The building is on the

National Register of Historic Places,

and in order to make the building viable for public use, it needs millions of dollars worth of repairs and maintenance.

BKV Group estimates that it would cost between approximately $20 million and $25 million to renovate and repurpose the Auditorium for city hall.

The vast majority of Block 50 is the parking lot located between the Willmar Public Library and CentraCare — Rice Memorial Hospital. There has been recent interest in developing housing at that location.

The site plans presented included one that incorporated city hall into a housing complex for those 55 and older and one that included two separate structures for the city hall and housing complex.

While both options included a ramp-like parking structure for the housing complex, as well as for public use, it greatly reduced the amount of public parking that would be offered at that location.

The cost to build a city hall on Block 50, with or without being attached to a new housing complex, was estimated to be approximately $16.3 million to $19 million.

At the end of the discussion, the council agreed the next steps would be hearing updated numbers for building a city hall and community center at the current

Willmar Community Center

site along Business 71 North and reviewing the cost estimates for either repurposing the Auditorium or building a stand-alone city hall on Block 50.

Approximately an hour into the presentation, Councilor Julie Asmus stated, "I'm just going to address the elephant in the room — I don't think we're on the same page. I don't think we're close to approving a development on (Block 50)."

She noted all the people who utilize the parking lot, including patrons of Bethel Lutheran Church, a dental office, the library and the hospital plus downtown employees and those who are visiting downtown, especially during events.

"I don't see the advantage of taking out all of that parking," she said, noting that she thought the council would be hearing plans about a stand-alone city hall on the north side of Block 50 and hearing what it would take to renovate the Auditorium for a city hall and the costs associated.

"Now, I can also appreciate and understand the viability of the downtown and having housing — I totally understand that," she said and listed several other locations in and around downtown that she thought would be more appropriate for housing.

Agreeing with Asmus were councilors Justin Ask, Vicki Davis and Tom Butterfield. Butterfield wanted to make sure the church continues to have the parking it needs for its programming.

"I'm a long way away from being anywhere close to thinking that anything other than parking at Block 50 is what should be there. It is utilized by far too many things," Ask said.

Davis explained she was on the Main Street Committee and met with business owners downtown, who don't want to lose the parking lot. She noted that although a parking study shows the parking lot isn't fully utilized, in her experience when driving by, it is full a lot of the time.

"I know when I had my shop down there, it was hard to find somewhere to park — you're going to this lot, it's full, going to this lot, it's full. Then customers want to go to your shop and they leave because there is no parking," she added.

City Administrator Leslie Valiant asked the council if it's open to having just city hall on Block 50 with no housing.

"There's a part of me, like what I said, I don't feel like we're on the same page. I think BKV spent a lot of time to develop a lot of proposals with a housing complex, which, at this point, I don't see as an option," Asmus said. "But it's good to be visionary, I get it."

Ask said it is hard for him to imagine that Block 50 is the best block downtown to build city hall and that people tell him all the time about the need for more parking downtown.

He praised BKV for its "amazing work" and noted he "loves" the concepts being produced, adding, "We've misled you, I think, to think that Block 50 is going to be able to hold all of that."

Bruce Schwartzmann of BKV Group informed the council that the reason for showing the site plans with housing combined is there has been development interest for Block 50.

Valiant noted that Block 50 is part of the

Renaissance Zone

and the

Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission

is working hard to develop the block.

"(EDC Executive Director) Aaron Backman constantly is looking for somebody to develop within our Renaissance Zone," she said, noting that if the council does not want Block 50 to be developed, it should take action to remove it from the Renaissance Zone.

If the block is not sold for development and kept as a parking lot, it needs to be put into the city pavement plan, she added.

Ask requested that Block 50 be placed on an upcoming council agenda for discussion and potential action and Councilor Audrey Nelsen requested that Backman be invited to share his thoughts at that meeting.

A large portion of the discussion surrounding the City Auditorium included other organizations or entities repurposing the building for their own uses, specifically veterans groups, who have shown an interest in saving the building.

Earlier this year, the city requested bids for remediation of lead and asbestos in the building, as well as separate bids for demolition. The city only received a bid for demolition, which the council rejected in July of 2023.

The portions of the building the council is most interested in preserving include the War Memorial Room and the decorative panels that adorn the front of the building.

Each year for Veterans Day,

Jon Linstrand displays his collection of 7,000 pieces of military history

in the Auditorium and Mayor Doug Reese and Councilor Mike O'Brien noted there is interest in the community to find a home for a permanent display, which could be the Auditorium.

Since hearing a

presentation in September of 2022 regarding the costs to renovate the building,

O'Brien has consistently commented about veterans interested in saving the building and how upset they would be if the city were to demolish it.

In order to prevent further deterioration, a new roof is the immediate need for the building, which would cost at least $500,000, according to Schwartzmann. The 2023 city budget included approximately $176,000 to go toward the Auditorium and the preliminary 2024 budget includes approximately $111,000 for the Auditorium.