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<br />• We should continue to use the building in the same manner as it is currently being used. It <br />should not be re-purposed. These uses include the rental operation and limited Parks & <br />Recreation programming (senior exercise class, gun safety training, and use by coaches for end <br />of the season parties). <br />• Larger crowds at the building are not feasible given parking limitations (some mentioned <br />accommodating 150 people). <br />• From an interior standpoint, no upgrades appear essential at this point in time. There was some <br />discussion about new floor tile in the larger room, but that wasn’t recommended by the group. <br />There was also discussion that the existing look of the downstairs is “part of Little Canada’s <br />history”. Another comments was “Everything does not have to be perfect. This is what we <br />started with. This is what it is.” <br />• The exterior appearance needs to be improved. The consensus was to replace all the brick on <br />the front of the building in a manner that tries to match the original character of the building. <br />A piecemeal approach of brick repair was not deemed the best approach for long-term <br />maintenance. It was discussed that we could install “old style” lights over doors to more <br />closely approximate how the building originally looked. That style of light is available. It <br />seemed the majority of the committee did not seem concerned about maintaining the <br />“historical” look/feel for the walls of the exterior other than the front (north side). <br />• Using a photo of the old building was suggested to help achieve the “original look”. <br />• Bollards should be installed in front of the garage doors for protection rather than using the <br />plating on the door frames. <br />• The appropriate treatment of the other three sides of the building’s exterior was not determined. <br />Options ranged from a good scraping/painting to stucco. However, the consensus was it <br />doesn’t make sense to re-do the front of the building without addressing the sides. (The options <br />for the sides of the building need more evaluation and the final decision should be made by the <br />City Council.) Note: The Fire Chief Smiley was not able to attend this meeting. He did <br />submit an e-mail comment whereby he feels the historical appearance of the front of the <br />building should be preserved. He did not offer an opinion on rehabilitation of the other three <br />sides of the building. <br />• The Committee felt that $10,000 a year to operate the building was a good value given that <br />seasonal storage would cost more elsewhere and that the public space has provided good utility. <br /> <br />One other side note involves our ability to acquire additional land from St. John’s. Mr. Hamernick <br />stated that can prove challenging given the Archdiocese involvement in the process. He did not seem <br />to think selling land to the City is viable at this point in time. A long-term lease may be more <br />workable. <br /> <br />Staff would recommend we proceed with the replacement of the base board in the lower level <br />(budgeted at $1,000). We would also recommend we have some construction professionals give us <br />some detailed options/recommendations for the façade improvements building upon the information <br />we received from James Steele Construction. <br /> <br />Your direction as to how we should proceed from here is needed.