Council takes steps to allow St. Mary's demolition

Appeal denied, but school, convent will be deleted from historic preservation ordinance

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- St. Mary's Catholic Church lost a battle but won the war Tuesday night in its bid to overturn the Historic Preservation Commission's denial of a permit to demolish the parish's school building.

The City Council acted to deny the parish's appeal, and then the councilors set in motion the legal wheels to have the St. Mary's school and convent deleted from the city's historic preservation ordinance.

After considerable discussion, Councilor Joel Albrecht made the motion to direct the city attorney to prepare the repeal of City Code 9.20, Subdivision 1, f with its listing of the St. Mary's property.

Council President Dan Beranek opened the discussion by saying that he and Albrecht were the only members of the current council who were on the council when it passed the historic preservation ordinance.

"The Historic Preservation Commission was set up to be an advisory body," he said. "It wasn't the intent of the ordinance to handcuff property owners in the use of their own property."

Albrecht supported Beranek's view, adding that as a result of the designation, "they're spending money that should go to the Lord's work."

Mary Ellen Domeier, a St. Mary's Church trustee, estimated it is costing the parish "$15,000 to $25,000 a year to maintain the buildings. That includes utilities, insurance and liability insurance coverage."

At one point, when it appeared the council was headed for repeal, Councilor Clark Tuttle cautioned the group that the first step was to deny the appeal. Then, the council might consider either the action it eventually took or revamping the entire ordinance.

"We're not going to screw this up," he said, meaning that he didn't want the council taking action that could be appealed to the court system.

When Domeier said the parish is not willing to sell the buildings, "we need the land," Tuttle questioned the parish's intentions.

Domeier said later the parish started in 1996 trying to find a reuse for the school building.

"It was just the last couple years that we decided to hold onto the land," she explained.

* In other action, after public hearings on each of the four issues, the council raised the temporary liquor license fee from $75 to $100, approved the final plat of Summit Bluff's First Addition and ordered in paving and other street improvements, storm sewer, boulevard restoration and street lighting on German Street from 19th to 20th South streets and on 19th South from Minnesota to German streets.

The council voted to retain Hoisington Preservation Consultants of Roseville to do the paperwork for designations within the South Broadway District and for Artstone buildings in the city. Hoisington was the only bidder.

Waste Management received a 2.1 percent increase in its residential pick-up fees, effective Jan. 1, 2003. The firm based its increase on the Consumer Price Index -- all urban consumers, Midwest region, for all items in October.

The council also will receive staff reports from the finance director/city clerk-treasurer regarding appointments to be made the council in January and from the assistant city manager providing an analysis of the city's 2003 tax capacity and preliminary property tax calculations.