The Aurora village Board of Trustees remains undecided on the fate of the Main Street post office after reviewing a report this week that predicts renovation costs could reach $230,000.
The building assessment by Rochester engineering firm MRB Group essentially gives the board four options, beginning with a $30,000 estimate to bring the 50- to 60-year-old building into code compliance.
Replacing the roof and boiler would add $70,000. Refitting 373 Main St. for a non-Postal Service tenant would drive the total up to $155,000. Making cosmetic changes and transforming the flat roof to a steeped style would bring the maximum cost to $230,000.
The next step will be to get a read on U.S. Postal Service plans. The mail center was set to move next door to the Heary Building until plans with the college for renovation of that site fell through earlier this year.
“We're going to try and arrange a meeting between the our board, the three village appointed boards and the post office to see where we need to go,” Mayor Thomas Gunderson said Thursday, referring to the village's preservation, planning and zoning boards. “Our deadline is a year-and-a-half away yet, but it's going to come fast.”
The lease with the Postal Service ends in 2009. The time frame leaves a small window for construction of a post office based outside downtown.
“Obviously, we want to keep a post office, we want to keep it in the immediate area,” trustee George Farenthold said. “But now the question is what to do.”
Farenthold has been opposed to investing any money in the post office building, likening it to “putting lipstick on a pig.” The high costs estimated by MRB, which don't include asbestos removal, reinforces his position, he said.
The report indicates the building, which would have been demolished with a post office move, is structurally sound, but will need some updates to be code compliant. The roof and heating system will need to be replaced within a few years.
Should village officials decide to make the investment, renovations including roof-style and cosmetic changes seems to be a reasonable option, Gunderson said.
“I think it's something that if we're going to leave it in that location for another 20 or 30 years, we have an opportunity to do something with it now,” he said.
The meeting with the postal service is expected to come together within the next 60 days.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
Replacing the roof and boiler would add $70,000. Refitting 373 Main St. for a non-Postal Service tenant would drive the total up to $155,000. Making cosmetic changes and transforming the flat roof to a steeped style would bring the maximum cost to $230,000.
The next step will be to get a read on U.S. Postal Service plans. The mail center was set to move next door to the Heary Building until plans with the college for renovation of that site fell through earlier this year.
“We're going to try and arrange a meeting between the our board, the three village appointed boards and the post office to see where we need to go,” Mayor Thomas Gunderson said Thursday, referring to the village's preservation, planning and zoning boards. “Our deadline is a year-and-a-half away yet, but it's going to come fast.”
The lease with the Postal Service ends in 2009. The time frame leaves a small window for construction of a post office based outside downtown.
“Obviously, we want to keep a post office, we want to keep it in the immediate area,” trustee George Farenthold said. “But now the question is what to do.”
Farenthold has been opposed to investing any money in the post office building, likening it to “putting lipstick on a pig.” The high costs estimated by MRB, which don't include asbestos removal, reinforces his position, he said.
The report indicates the building, which would have been demolished with a post office move, is structurally sound, but will need some updates to be code compliant. The roof and heating system will need to be replaced within a few years.
Should village officials decide to make the investment, renovations including roof-style and cosmetic changes seems to be a reasonable option, Gunderson said.
“I think it's something that if we're going to leave it in that location for another 20 or 30 years, we have an opportunity to do something with it now,” he said.
The meeting with the postal service is expected to come together within the next 60 days.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
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