Soda Springs council weighs state-park transfer, sale or lease for historic Enders Building

Soda Springs City Council members spent the meeting discussing the future of the Enders Building, weighing a proposal to transfer the property to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation against options to renovate and occupy it, lease parts of it, or sell it at public auction.

The discussion matters because the city has spent public money on the building, the structure requires further repairs and possible upgrades to meet code for some uses, and decisions could affect downtown businesses, city finances and historic collections housed in the building.

Staff and members reviewed cost estimates, occupancy and revenue scenarios and legal steps required to dispose of the property. Mitch (staff member) told the council that two appraisals — one completed shortly after acquisition and a second in 2022 — averaged about $1,100,000. He told the council an architect’s renovation estimate was “north of $600,000,” and that adding fire-suppression work and contingencies had led staff to carry roughly $900,000 in planning assumptions.

Council discussion explored several paths. One option, presented in writing and read into the record by Council member Paul, was to transfer the building to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Paul said, “I propose that the city of Silver Springs turn the building over to the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department providing they are willing, approve, and want to participate,” and described state park operation as a way to preserve the building while relieving the city of ongoing maintenance costs.

Paul and other speakers described preliminary contact with the department as encouraging but cautioned that state approval, budget cycles and legislative review make the timeline uncertain. Paul and staff agreed that if the city is interested the next step is to invite department representatives to present at an upcoming council meeting; council members asked staff to try to schedule that presentation for the March 5 meeting.

Council members and staff also examined alternatives. Staff discussed leasing parts of the building to short-term renters (contractors, seasonal workers or professionals) and sketched simple revenue scenarios: private-room rental estimates ranged between $40 and $50 per night with uncertain occupancy; leasing the entire 22,000-square-foot building was estimated at roughly $0.30–$0.60 per square foot, which staff said would yield a baseline monthly rent “in the neighborhood of $6,600” and, after adding about 30% for repairs and other costs, a figure near $8,500 per month.

Technical and operational constraints were raised repeatedly. Alan (staff member) and Director Hanson (Director, City Public Works) noted that a change of occupancy during remodeling would likely trigger a requirement to install a fire-suppression system and that staff had budgeted to reflect that possibility. Staff reported the building has about 16 rooms on the third floor, roughly 8–12 on the second floor, and a total footprint of about 22,000 square feet (basement 6,000 sq ft, first floor 6,000 sq ft, second 5,000 sq ft, third 5,000 sq ft).

Staff outlined the statutory disposal process under Idaho law: the council must first decide to sell or convey the building, review whether existing appraisals are adequate, schedule and publish a public hearing, set auction terms and a minimum, and then open and consider bids. Staff cited two prior appraisals: about $885,000 (2019) and about $1,267,000 (2022), and said those values averaged to roughly $1.1 million. They cautioned that prior local auctions (an example cited was Hooper School) received no bids when a minimum equaled the appraised value.

Public commenters largely supported pursuing the parks-transfer option as a way to protect artifacts and preserve the building’s historic character while removing the ongoing cost burden from the city. Several residents said they would back a short waiting period for the state option but urged that the city set a clear deadline for action and have contingency plans — lease, sell or demolition — if the transfer cannot be completed. One resident, Bill Horsley, offered to help preserve or house artifacts if the city proceeds with transfer or sale.

Council members emphasized tradeoffs. Several pointed to competing capital needs the city is already planning for, including a multi-million-dollar Highway 30/Second South utility project, water and sewer upgrades, and recent Main Street investments. Staff presented fund balances across municipal accounts (general fund and enterprise funds) and said the city holds roughly $7 million in savings across funds; staff warned that moving city hall and renovating Enders would reduce reserves and could compete with higher-priority infrastructure work.

No formal vote was held to sell, lease or transfer the Enders Building during the meeting. The council approved routine business and adjourned. The next explicit step recorded in the meeting minutes was a direction to contact the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and attempt to schedule department representatives to appear at the council’s March 5 meeting to answer questions and discuss feasibility; staff said they would try to facilitate that.

Votes at the meeting were limited; a motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

If the parks-transfer effort does not progress, staff and several council members indicated they expect to return to more immediate options — preparing for a public hearing and auction under Idaho code or soliciting sealed bids and negotiating terms with prospective buyers or lessees. Council members asked staff to assemble clearer cost estimates for renovating the building to city-hall standards and to provide updated appraisals and timelines for disposal procedures at future meetings.