Commissioner's view: Jail has had its chances, and no buyer surfaced |
| Without a viable buyer, the former county jail needs to be immediately demolished after that Nov. 15 deadline to stop the bleeding of St. Louis County taxpayers.
This spring, the Duluth City Council expressed its intent to issue a demolition permit after Nov. 15 for the old St. Louis County jail \ provided the county could show there's no feasible or prudent alternative and could demonstrate a good-faith effort to market and sell the jail property. Without a viable buyer, the jail needs to be immediately demolished after that Nov. 15 deadline to stop the bleeding of St. Louis County taxpayers. Too many tax dollars have been spent already on studies that have only shown remodeling as cost-prohibitive. One study showed that just to repair terra cotta, which is falling off and is a safety hazard, would cost about $600,000. Tax dollars already are being used to pay staff, for insurance, and to cover the $2,000 a month needed to monitor the jail and clean up its debris. Should the jail's demolition be delayed, a favorable demolition bid already received of $107,678 (with other bids as high as $700,000) could easily double. St. Louis County was denied a permit to demolish the jail by the Duluth Heritage Preservation Commission, which has oversight responsibility of landmark properties, as the jail has been classified. The county appealed the decision. The City Council denied the appeal before reconsidering in May. I call on preservationists now to be rational and reasonable. I commend them for their passion and successes in saving history. I'll go so far as to say I'm rooting for them in their quest to save the jail. But 23 years of efforts to find a new use for the jail need to be ended. And that end is Nov. 15, the Duluth City Council's deadline. Despite what preservationists may maintain, this languishing building has had its chances. Its demise and need for redevelopment has been publicized at least 22 times in newspaper articles, preservation publications, magazines and news releases. The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota included the jail as one of its "10 Most Endangered" historic properties in 2004, 2008 and 2009. The jail has been shown to more than 60 prospective buyers, including individuals and groups. The county has received dozens of calls from across the country. But the county has yet to receive one legitimate offer. This last effort to save the jail includes a formal request for proposals, or RFP, which has been widely disseminated. Studies, pictures and detailed information have been posted at the county's Web site for anyone to review and consider. Sadly, I fear no length of time or effort will forestall what has already been predicted: a lawsuit from preservationists once Nov. 15 arrives and the demolition permit is issued. This month, a letter from the Duluth Heritage Preservation Commis-sion's chairwoman suggested the county wasn't demonstrating good faith in its marketing of the jail's sale. Among criticisms was a county requirement for $1,000 \ with all but $250 potentially refunded \ from prospective buyers to tour the building. Can $250 really be seen as a roadblock to identifying a legitimate developer when refurbishing the jail is potentially a $10 million project? Any legitimate developer would see $250 as a reasonable way to compensate the county for its staff time and would recognize the requirement as a way to separate serious bidders from curiosity seekers. The county will continue to respond to and to meet with preservationists in order to make the best effort possible to market and sell the jail. I hope, in the end, the comments and concerns we're hearing now from the preservation community aren't mere preludes to court action already being planned. I hope preservationists are able to get beyond their passion to embrace a rational and reasoned outcome. Chris Dahlberg of Duluth is a St. Louis County Board member, representing the Third District. |