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CITY OF HUGO <br />HISTORICAL COMMISSION / STAFF RECOMMENDATION <br />I. INTRODUCTION <br />The Historical Commission has been discussing options for the 2 -acre, city -owned <br />property on 170th Street North. The property has been sitting vacant for over ten years <br />and has sustained damage that could lead to safety issues. There has been much <br />community concern over what will happen to the historic structure, as well as community <br />interest in saving the building. <br />II. BACKGROUND <br />The Historical Commission and city staff have been answering various calls, letters, and <br />emails from interested and concerned citizens who want to know what is going to be <br />done with the old Hopkins Schoolhouse located on said property. These calls include <br />general concern over saving the structure, as well as an interest in turning the structure <br />into a place of business. Residents have expressed frustration in watching the building <br />deteriorate over the years. It was brought to the Historical Commission for review, and <br />they were able to bring on an intern to assist them in the process. <br />An open house was held at the schoolhouse on September 18, 2017. Several residents of <br />Hugo as well as past students came to share their opinions on what should be done with <br />the building. Many residents acknowledged a shared view of importance to save the <br />building as one of the few remaining representations of Hugo's history. They also <br />expressed concerns over the damage to the property and pressed for the city to do <br />something with the structure before it falls into further disrepair. <br />Later that September, the City of Hugo received a grant to hire a company to evaluate the <br />historic significance of the structure and whether elements of the building could be <br />considered historically relevant. The study, done by NewStudio Architecture, found that <br />the schoolhouse is considered a historic structure, and that it is eligible for submission to <br />the Register of Historic Places list. <br />III. PROPERTY HISTORY <br />The building was constructed in 1928 and served as an "ungraded Elementary school." <br />Classes were taught to grades 1-8 until the mid 1940s, and grades 1-6 until the school <br />closed in the spring of 1962. This 2 -acre property was then purchased by Oneka <br />Township from the Forest Lake School District in 1965 for $3,500. The structure was <br />