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CITY OF VICTORIA TO PURCHASE KIRSCH BUILDING

DEMOLITION WILL PROVIDE PARKING SPACE

Councilmembers unanimously adopted a resolution June 14th approving the purchase agreement of the building located next to City Offices on Rose Street. Agreed upon purchase price: $145,000. Council has been meeting in closed session for some time to this end.

Stated City Administrator Don Uram, “This was put together by our city attorney with my comments. We’re purchasing as is. We have conducted some preliminary environmental tests. There is some asbestos abatement. We expected that. We’re not expecting any problems with any soil issue. We’re expecting the closing on or about August 2nd.”

Stated City Attorney Mike Norton, “We received the abstract from Mrs. Kirsch’s lawyer. We’re going to get a title insurance commitment to protect the city.”

For the sake of passing on information, Councilmember Kim Roden asked the city administrator to clarify intent of purchase. Replied Mr. Uram, “The long term plan is for parking. My expectation is that it would be part of a bigger master plan for parking in the city.” He said the short term plan should provide 18 parking spaces, and that the city will work with property owners in the immediate area on a specific plan and also with all downtown property owners more generally.

Stated Mayor Mary Thun, “We’ll be having ongoing discussions with business owners. Is the building habitable?” she asked.

Replied Administrator Uram, “It has been our take from the very beginning that it is not. There were 19 code related violations that needed to be corrected. It’s not financially feasible to make the building habitable.”

Councilmember Jim Paulsen spoke to the possibility of not getting clear title since, over the years with other city purchases, “there have been gaps from time to time” from one property line to the next.

Attorney Norton stated, “The seller has been very insistent that we take it as is. We had no leverage in regard to that. There may be some title issues.” Owner LaVerne Kirsch now lives in Waconia. Her husband Jerome, 80, died in August of 2009 at their home next to City Offices.

City Attorney Michael Norton reported on June 28th, “We actually found virtually nothing in title problems. There is a utility easement across the property, but the utility is going to give us a release. That’s the only title issue and I don’t think it’s a problem.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: City Administrator Don Uram reported that demolition of the Kirsch building -- which is the curved-roof building located on Rose Street adjacent to, and practically touching, the Victoria City Hall -- will hopefully occur shortly after closing in early August 2010. The city has already received three bid quotes for the demolition work.

Victoria resident and former Mayor Jerry Schmieg recalls that this warehouse was built in the mid ‘40’s by John Kirsch when his Grain Belt business outgrew his old warehouse (which was Lenny Koehnen’s car wash, currently the home of Signature Electric). Jerry also recalls that John Kirsch acquired the dealership for Grain Belt beer in the early ‘30’s, “when times were tough,” with the help of Father Ives who had connections with the owners of Grain Belt Brewery. Reports Jerry, “I can still remember stopping at the old warehouse on Sunday morning after Mass and picking up beer there. Grain Belt came in short bottles at that time and Mom liked them for canning homemade catsup.” Thank you, Jerry Schmieg, for the memories.

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Drs. Dungey, Menser & Associates

Victoria and Waconia. 952-443-2816