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Resident urges action to preserve Hurricane Harbor building bought with grant; staff says assessment underway
Summary
A longtime resident told council the city failed to properly maintain Hurricane Harbor after a grant-funded purchase; city staff said engineers and roofers have evaluated the property and will present recommendations to council.
A resident who identified himself as Mr. Gilmore urged the council to address deferred maintenance at Hurricane Harbor, a building Gilmore said the city purchased with a $2,000,000 grant about 16 years earlier.
Gilmore said the structure and adjacent marine yard were allowed to deteriorate after the acquisition and criticized the replacement of a traditional roof with foam, which he described as inadequate. He contrasted Hurricane Harbor’s condition with neighboring properties that had been shored up and warned the site is a piece of local history that “needs to be done with.”
Council and staff acknowledged the concern. City staff member Brian (staff) said staff is preparing a presentation for a future council meeting with an assessment and recommendations. He said staff has had a roofer evaluate the roof structure, completed engineering evaluations of the building and is researching historic-building architects to determine what can be salvaged.
Brian noted that there is a triggering threshold in the building code — the “50%” rule — where renovations that exceed a certain percentage of a building’s value may require bringing the entire building up to current code and flood-elevation standards; that figure will influence repair or renovation costs, he said.
Staff said they would return with detailed figures and options for council consideration. No formal action was taken at the meeting; staff said it will present findings and cost estimates at a future council meeting.
