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Foundation offers $50,000 assessment grant to stabilize Milan Community House; council to review
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Summary
The Greater Milan Area Community Foundation proposed a $50,000 grant to fund inspection, stabilization planning and a National Register nomination for the deteriorating Milan Community House; the City Council agreed to review the proposal and consider next steps at a future meeting.
A foundation offering to underwrite an initial assessment for a deteriorating historic building took center stage at the Milan City Council meeting on July 15.
Representatives from the Greater Milan Area Community Foundation (GMACF) outlined a proposal to provide $50,000 from the Milan Enrichment Fund and public donations to pay for a licensed inspection, a stabilization plan drawn by a historic architect, cost estimates for repairs, and a submission to place the Milan Community House on the National Register of Historic Places. The foundation said remaining funds would be available for initial stabilization steps and that environmental testing (lead, asbestos) would be performed if warranted.
The proposal, presented by Cassie Prior and Britney Novak, included background that the Community House dates to 1937–38 (with some elements possibly from an earlier 1848 grist mill site), that the building has fallen into disrepair and has pest and insulation-related problems, and that the City owns the parcel. GMACF requested that the council consider a decision-in-principle at the July 15 meeting and described an internal timeline for foundation approvals in early to mid-July.
Under the foundation's proposal, if the City accepts the assessment grant it would have up to three months, after receiving the assessment reports, to decide whether to complete stabilization work within 24 months or to offer GMACF/Community Foundation of Monroe County (CFMC) a 99-year exclusive lease option. If the lease option were offered and accepted, GMACF/CFMC would have 90 days (with reasonable extensions) to decide whether to accept the lease; if the foundation declines, the funds would be treated as a grant to the City.
The presenters outlined likely next steps should a lease be accepted: convening community conversations about future uses, hiring a historic architect to prepare restoration/adaptive-use plans and a pro forma, assembling construction financing (community capital campaign, grant applications, construction loans, and state historic tax credits), conducting a bid process to hire a general contractor, submitting plans for City review, and completing restoration work (potentially in phases).
The proposal also listed expectations for a lease transfer, including that the City provide adjacent land to meet parking requirements, cooperate with grantmaking efforts, offer the other Ford-era building to GMACF first if the City relinquishes it, limit uses to nonprofit/charitable purposes unless the City permits otherwise, allow subleases to nonprofit organizations, and permit reciprocal use of nearby City parking for overflow events.
Council members thanked the presenters and expressed support for further study. The council reached a consensus to review the materials and possibly move forward with a plan at a future meeting; the transcript records no formal vote on the proposal during the July 15 meeting.
Next steps: Council staff and interested parties will review the GMACF materials and assessments when provided and bring a recommended path back to the council for decision.