Repairs are planned by Dexter City Council for historic building, street closure, safety discussed

DEXTER — The Dexter Board of Aldermen approved Monday spending nearly $23,000 to make repairs to the historic gymnasium used by the city’s Park & Recreation Department.

“Ten years ago we put the new roof on the gymnasium (on Park Lane) and then a few years ago, we put a brand new floor in it,” explained City Administrator Mark Stidham. “It was brought to our attention we’re going to have to have some tuck-point work done on the building.”

Stidham said the brick is getting in “pretty bad shape.”

There are a few bricks along the top that are really loose, said Stidham, who indicated he had Kerry Gilbow come by and look at the building. Gilbow, he said, does this type work nationwide.

“He looked last Tuesday and gave me a price of $22,600,” Stidham said. “And, that’s about half price actually. Because he’s a local boy, he did cut us a lot of slack on it.”

The building is on the National Registry of Historic Places, Stidham said.

“There will be a little bit of procedures we’ll have to follow in order to be able to put it back to its original state,” Stidham explained.

The area up next to the columns and beams is “in real bad shape,” Stidham said. “There will be a lot of work going on on the whole building, but, he said, that would put it back to its original state.”

The building may soon get to the point some bricks will start coming down, he said.

“And, once they start coming down, we’ll have to buy more because they will be busted and broke,” Stidham said.

Alderman Jerry Corder said it would be a liability.

If someone gets hit by a falling brick, it will cost the city more than $22,600, Corder said.

Stidham said the city needs to do something or stop using the building.

Stidham said the city also has received a letter from Tyson Foods requesting abandonment of Matthews Street.

“Matthews Street is the street that runs along the railroad tracks” on the west side of the business’ property, Stidham said.

The street, he said, is “pretty congested” because there are a lot of trucks that come in and out.

“They are wanting to do some expansion that is going to require a little bit more room,” Stidham explained. “So, basically, what we have to do to abandon a street, we have to have public input.”

A public notification, Stidham said, will be put in the newspaper, but “before we do that, we have to know if we have any opposition and questions from the board.”

In response to questions, Stidham said, the area to be abandoned would go from Stoddard Street 1,375 feet due north and right along with Tyson’s property line.

Stidham said Tyson has had some security problems for years.

“It’s hard to gate off that area to keep pedestrians from walking into the coolers or just walking into the plant,” Stidham said.

The company would have guards on each end, he said, and “they’ll bring their cooler and their debone room out closer to the street right-of-way.”

That area is zoned industrial, he said, so the company could “actually build right on the street.”

Stidham said there already is a safety problem with trucks backing in there. In some instances, he said, the truck’s doors will be swung open as “cars are flying through or if car is turning there and the trucks are backing in … “

With no opposition from the aldermen, Stidham said, the city would proceed with public notifications. A public hearing subsequently will be held.

The board unanimously approved an ordinance certifying the April 2 election of Terry Battles as Ward I alderman, Tim Aslin as Ward II alderman and Frank Killian as Ward III alderman.

City Clerk Crystal Bishop swore in the newly elected aldermen.

Killian subsequently was re-elected to another one-year term as president of the Board of Aldermen.

In other business, the aldermen unanimously approved:

• A plumber’s application for Buffington Brothers;

• The appointment of Adam Sadler to the Park & Recreation Board; and

• The appointment of Tammy Crowley to the Library Board.