City council discusses future of Decorah’s municipal building

The Decorah Municipal Building houses the city’s fire and police departments, the Decorah Parks and Recreation office, city staff, Winneshiek Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management officials. (Photo by Denise Lana)

By Denise Lana,

The Decorah Municipal Building houses the city’s fire and police departments, the Decorah Parks and Recreation office, city staff, Winneshiek Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management officials. (Photo by Denise Lana)

The city’s aging municipal building needs attention, according to city officials, but what to do is still undecided after lengthy discussions by the Decorah City Council during a special meeting Monday afternoon.  

The historical building, designed and constructed in 1959 by renowned local architect Charles Altfillisch, houses the city’s fire and police departments, the Decorah Parks and Recreation office, city staff, Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management officials. A facility study completed earlier this year by Brunton Architects and Engineers identified a number of significant electrical, structural and mechanical issues within the building. The suggested improvements, repairs and upgrades would cost around $9 million.  The council discussed options for repairing the municipal building versus rebuilding portions, taking into consideration a third option of razing the current facility and building new. The cost of a new facility as estimated by Brunton could top out around $16 million.  Several council members noted the current building does not take full advantage of the property, which they said is a valuable commodity in Decorah, and a new construction could maximize the land. Most council members agreed functionality outweighed the historical value of the current building, but they did not rule out repairing the current facility and making additions and upgrades.

City Manager Travis Goedken was asked to meet with Brunton officials and determine if the new building plans could be amended to lower the $16 million price tag. Discussion of the issue will continue at a future council meeting.  

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