By Lauren Waters
Correspondent
ALLOUEZ – During the Allouez village board meeting Tuesday, Dec. 3, Allouez Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Christopher Clark gave a report regarding the current condition of the Allouez Community Center.
“We had talked about this facility during our budget meetings and some of the issues we were starting to see in regards to the maintenance of it,” said Clark. “We need to discuss the direction in which the community and board want to go with that facility.”
From the facility assessment report, Clark said the village has four options: keep going as is and make repairs as needed; completely renovate the facility, which could cost as much as $1 million; reconstruct the building to include the neighboring fire station; or sell the building and find a new location.
The Allouez Community Center was built in 1947, and initially was used for the water department and village offices.
Currently, the facility is being used for group meetings, senior programs, storage space, recreational classes and other community needs.
However, Clark said approximately only 1,900 square feet of the almost 7,500-square-foot building is currently accessible to the public as a community space.
“What looks like a lot of space is not being utilized efficiently,” he said.
There are two empty reservoirs on site which are not currently being utilized, said Clark, one has a pit that is a safety hazard and will need to be filled.
In regards to the three public restrooms in the building, Clark said improvements need to be made as well.
“They are not in the best of shape, and they are not very user-friendly, especially for the accessibility of our seniors,” he said.
Additional maintenance on the facility includes a new roof, which was estimated at $52,000 by a contractor.
Other exterior maintenance items are the southside sidewalk, estimated at $5,200, and replacing the asphalt driveway, estimated at $8,850.
Clark said there is water damage to some of the rooms due to the roof issues, as well as deterioration of the water reservoir exterior walls.
“We could demolish this portion of the building since it’s a water tank that is not being utilized,” he said. “It could then produce some additional parking in the back entryway.”
Clark said some of the features of the building are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, such as the drinking fountains and the narrow doorways.
“We need to accommodate all of our users, especially our seniors who may be coming through with walkers or wheelchairs,” he said.
As far as recent improvements to the facility, Clark said staff installed new flooring to the community room in 2006, as well as a new $9,500 boiler, which had to be purchased in 2019.
The village board and staff stressed the importance of preserving the historical value of the building, which Clark said a future private owner could benefit from utilizing historical building tax credits.
Possible options were discussed by the board, including the various financial aspects, as well as where a potential future site for the Allouez Community Center could be, if that were to be the village’s decision in the future.