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Resident pitches buying First Congregational Church to create 'Steeple Event Center'
Summary
Ethan Hagen told the New Richland City Council he and partners want to buy the closed First Congregational Church and convert it into a community event venue, preserve the historic steeple and pursue grants and EDA support to bring the building up to code.
Ethan Hagen, who identified himself as a New Richland resident, told the City Council on July 22 that he has been offered the closed First Congregational Church and is seeking the council's support to convert it into a community events venue called the Steeple Event Center. "It's a great honor to me…our whole family has gone to that church," Hagen said, asking the council to back the plan to preserve the building rather than see it demolished.
Hagen said architects and contractors are preparing estimates to bring the building up to code and to repair water damage. He told the council the property's assessed value currently is $563,000 and estimated that, if reclassified for business use, property taxes could be on the order of "10,000 a year"; he said he is pursuing small-business grants and other funding to reduce the operating burden.
Council members and staff advised Hagen to engage the Economic Development Authority and Planning and Zoning early. An EDA representative at the meeting said the EDA recently received a state grant and may have a project that could fit the church restoration; council members encouraged Hagen to bring two or three concrete reuse plans to planning staff so the city can identify necessary variances or zoning steps.
Hagen described intended uses such as weddings, business meetings, live music and occasional worship services, and said the group plans to avoid full commercial food preparation in the site's kitchen (catering-only use was suggested while seeking code advice). He also said the project team is considering whether the building might retain some church exemptions rather than convert to full commercial classification, which could affect tax liabilities.
Council members recommended the EDA and planning staff as the next steps and suggested exploring historical-preservation grants; one councilor suggested contacting Matt Arington as a potential resource for historical grant information. Hagen closed asking the council for its "blessing" and support as he gathers cost estimates and grant leads.
