Chanute city commissioners on Monday discussed the fate of two downtown buildings, one damaged in a wind storm about two years ago and the other renovated using city sales tax proceeds.
The former Stewart furniture store, 23 W. Main, was first discussed. The building was damaged in an April 2023 wind storm. The commission could take action in the future. Chanute City Manager Todd Newman told commissioners that something will need to be decided on the building in the near future.
“That block is going to be tough. It’s a huge financial burden, both those buildings. We haven’t even gotten to the second building. We’re still on the first building. But that first building, unfortunately, probably decides the fortune of that whole block,” Newman told commissioners.
If the building came down, it may take the buildings on either side of it as well.
The building has a new owner, who has had some time to decide the building’s fate. Recent weather may have slowed the progress, though.
“I just want you to be prepared for that building coming in front of you,” Newman said.
Commissioner Tim Egner wanted to give the new owner until spring to see if any work has begun.
Newman said he didn’t think the weather could do any more damage to the building. He said he has kept the operators of neighboring Little China Restaurant informed.
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He said the former furniture building, while in private hands, can still be deemed a safety hazard by the city through code enforcement.
Commissioners also discussed 112 W. Main, the former Masonic Hall. The commission agreed to use sales tax money to renovate the building so it wasn’t lost to demolition. The roof was repaired, the building was tuck pointed and doors and windows have been replaced. A few more windows need to be installed yet. The city has spent about $365,000 so far on the repairs with the hope of saving the block.
The alternative was to raze the building, which was estimated to cost $420,000.
On Monday, Newman recommended that commissioners sell the building after the final windows are installed with the hope that a developer could step in and make the needed interior improvements. He said although the city paid for exterior improvements, he didn’t think the value of the building was increased by much given the condition inside the structure.
He said city staff would want the new owner to do something with the building and not let it sit for three years or more.
A development agreement with any new owner would include language that could return the building to the city if nothing was done with it.
“It needs to be used in some aspect,” Newman said.
Commissioners agreed to sell the building, setting the starting sale price at $100,000. The sale would include stipulations, such as a development agreement.
In other matters, the commission: — Re-elected Jacob LaRue as mayor for 2025. — Heard from Newman that the work on the HVAC for the city library and Safari museum would take about nine months to complete once it’s started, probably in the summer. Material delays are continuing and getting the chiller for the system is about 30 weeks out.
— Discussed the new trash trucks that city workers are training on. The trucks will start running routes in February or early March. The trucks will start working in the newer housing areas that already have curbside pickup and then move into other areas of town, Newman told commissioners. The city will have to distribute new trash carts to customers, about 7,000 of them, while switching routes to the new trucks that have side arms to pick up trash carts. Some parts of town will prove more difficult. Commercial customers may take some adjustments as well, as sanitation crews have to roll dumpsters away from buildings. City staff will communicate information on the upcoming changes to city trash customers and where crews will begin using the new trucks. Chances are the Hillside, Sunset, Westview and Osa Martin neighborhoods will be first. Ordinances may be updated as part of the process, commissioners heard, such as requiring trash to be bagged inside the carts. The city is expecting to save about $2 million in the sanitation fund over the expected eight-year life of the two new trucks because of operational efficiencies.
— Heard that the final bond issue, for $7 million, to complete the water treatment plant will come before the commission in February.
— The wastewater treatment plant will be next in line for replacement and upgrades. The current permits for the plant expire in 2028 and Newman expects to break ground in 2026. The plant will have to remain operational during the construction. Newman estimates the new plant would cost between $28 and $30 million. The utility’s fund has about $4 million now, as the city has set aside $850,000 each year to put toward the project.
— Heard that 1,399 customers are signed up for the city’s fiber internet service and that another 112 are pending. The city expects to have 1,500 customers, maybe even 2,000. Newman told commissioners that the city could expect to see about $1 million in extra revenue as a result of the project.
