The Logansport Common Council voted Oct. 6 to appropriate $30,000 to complete a historic-structure report for the Logansport Cass County Memorial Center, funding city staff said is needed to unlock matching foundation grants for interior restoration.

The appropriation, adopted as Resolution 2025-154, passed on a unanimous voice vote after a presentation in the finance committee and follow-up discussion in the full council. Councilwoman Susie Wamsley moved the resolution; a second was recorded.

City staff member Malcolm, who presented the proposal at the finance committee, told council members that the report is a required step for the grant process and that completing it would make the Memorial Center eligible for a Heartland Fund-style capital challenge. "This study will provide the foundation, the condition of the building, the treatment standards, the cost estimating for restoring the interior of the building," Malcolm said. He told the finance committee the report would cost $60,000 in total, with the city’s $30,000 matched by a foundation contribution.

Malcolm said exterior repairs are scheduled to begin next spring and that completion of the interior restoration could be staged for 2027, if the foundation award follows. He described the local fundraising strategy as layering a previously awarded OCRA grant with private foundation funds and said a favorable rating by the state historic registry was necessary for some funders to consider the project.

The council discussed the consultant selection during the finance committee meeting. Members were presented two proposals: the incumbent firm Browning Day, which had worked on the building since 2017 but lost a key architect; and Ratio Design, the presenter said, whose team has recent experience with the Jeffers Family Foundation and submitted a competitively priced proposal. "They understand the Jeffers Family Foundation, how they work, what they’re looking for," Malcolm said, arguing that Ratio’s track record would position the city better for the capital challenge grant.

The motion approved by the council is limited to funding the historic-structure report; it does not approve or commit city funds for later interior construction work. Malcolm described estimated restoration costs for the interior as "around $600,000–$700,000," and said the ratio of grant funding could reduce the city’s capital share, but he did not present a finalized construction contract or timeline for interior work.

Resolution 2025-154 (appropriating $30,000) passed during the Oct. 6 meeting. Council actions recorded during the meeting indicate the council intends to complete the exterior work in 2026 and pursue interior funding for 2027, subject to successful foundation awards and completion of the required historic-structure report.

The city’s presentation referenced grant programs and local historic-registry work previously completed; council members said they would rely on the finance committee to oversee consultant selection and grant timelines going forward.