Board seeks estimates and grant support to fix cracked downtown building

The Veedersburg town board voted to request contractor Aldridge provide written estimates to patch a vertical crack and stop water intrusion at a downtown building and said it will pursue a competitive grant to fund larger repairs.

Kristen, who is handling project coordination, told the board the grant application timeline requires submissions by April 15 and that selected projects will be reviewed May 8; she added a funding notice might come as early as July or August. "The applications have to be in by April 15th. They are having us go through all of the projects May the 8th," Kristen said.

Board members described two repair approaches: a temporary interior patch and a more expensive outside repair that requires an articulated boom lift or scaffolding. One contractor estimate cited during the meeting was about $4,000 for two days to rent a lift; another outside estimate discussed in the meeting was roughly $8,000 (figures reported in the meeting and not confirmed). Members asked Aldridge to provide a cost for interior patching and a separate price for scaffolding or an outside lift so the board could decide whether to fund a temporary fix or include the work in the larger grant-backed project.

The board also reviewed a structural-engineering opinion from KJG’s Jeremy Duff, who reported that the vertical crack did not appear to indicate imminent collapse but recommended prompt tuckpointing to stop additional water damage. "Because it is completely vertical, he said he's not too concerned about it. He said you do want to get it tuckpointed as soon as possible because it is going to keep taking in water and damage," a board member summarized, citing the engineer’s advice.

Members noted the project already has a private-match pool (referred to during the meeting as about $192,000 toward the local match for the building and a separately mentioned $445,000 in committed private funds for related projects). Several board members said adding a small temporary repair cost would be reasonable compared with the overall match amount, but they asked for formal estimates before authorizing payment.

A motion carried to ask Aldridge to prepare written estimates for (1) an interior patch that would limit moisture now and (2) scaffolding/outside lift pricing so the board can compare costs and include the work in the grant match calculations if appropriate. The board directed staff to collect Aldridge’s quotes and return them to the board for a future vote.

Next step: Aldridge will be asked to submit written estimates and the board will consider those figures alongside the grant timeline once the documents are received.