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Algoma staff recommend temporary fixes while council weighs larger repairs for American Legion building
Summary
City staff told the committee that siding and window repairs requested by the American Legion are likely symptoms of larger deferred maintenance — staff recommended short-term 'stop the bleeding' fixes and further study before committing major funds.
City staff told Algoma’s committee that a recent request from the American Legion for siding and window work likely reflects larger deferred maintenance needs and recommended limited, short-term repairs while the city studies replacement or relocation options.
Staff said the Legion had asked the city to re-side a portion of the building and mentioned an $18,000–$20,000 figure; staff recalled a 2019 interim rubber membrane patch that cost about $12,000 and said a full roof replacement and window work would be substantially more, with an estimate cited in the meeting of roughly $200,000 to address the full suite of problems. Staff also reported that the building’s heating system uses a steam boiler with radiator parts that are difficult to source.
Given those broader needs, staff recommended not investing a larger sum immediately and instead "stop the bleeding" with modest repairs (council discussion included one-off patch estimates described in the meeting as being in the low thousands). Staff recommended a structural review and further budget work before any larger capital expenditure. The staff presenter said they would research options for the Legion — including potential relocation to a smaller, ADA-accessible facility similar to a 1,200-square-foot VFW building in Kewaunee — and return to the committee with cost estimates.
Committee members asked staff to bring the topic back to a future agenda with more precise estimates. Members also asked staff to research whether the city could allow public comment on agenda items (some comparison communities were cited) and to look into communications options such as a community publication ("Wolf Review" was mentioned as an example) to improve outreach. The treasurer requested that hydrant-rental scheduling be pushed to December to avoid conflicts with the November budget schedule; staff agreed to research and report back.
