Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell City Council to consider Palace architect plan, with some members already opposed to renovation

Yahoo

18-02-2025

Feb. 17—MITCHELL — The Mitchell City Council will consider approving an architectural contract for a schematic redesign of the Corn Palace, even though there is no budget or funds set aside to pay for the proposed multi-million-dollar project.
During its regular meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 18, the council will consider approval of a bid to replace the Corn Palace seats and add ADA compliant rails for $567,000. Additionally, it will consider approving a $84,000 contract with architect firm Schemmer to present a study to expand the Corn Palace for $12 million. The council will also consider approval of reserving $600,000 of its 2025 entertainment tax collections toward upgrading the plaza at the Corn Place to be spent in 2026 and 2027.
Council President Kevin McCardle has sat in every chair in the Corn Palace and has championed the chair replacement topic. The majority of the council has expressed a need to replace the chairs.
However, not all council members are in agreement over the Corn Palace renovation, or even, who should provide the plan.
"I think we've paid that man enough money, and gotten nowhere," council member Mike Bathke said Friday of Schemmer architect Robin Miller.
In 2022, the council paid Schemmer $120,000 to present a study for expanding the Corn Palace with three options ranging from $18 million to $44 million,
but the council never moved forward with construction.
Miller plans to reuse parts of the 2022 study and gave the city a discounted design at $84,000, because he'll use "$50,000 or more" worth of past studies to guide a final plan, which is necessary for a construction project to start.
"The building itself is in decent shape," said Bathke, who recently took a tour of the Corn Palace basement under the basketball court, the boiler room, and the attic. "My biggest problem with it is there's no business plan. I don't think it's a good, wise decision when we have over $40 million worth of (citywide) flooding issues we need to address."
Council Member John Doescher listed the recent city purchases and improvement projects as reasons not to take on the Corn Palace renovation, including the Kelley property, the secondary water source, the big water tank south of town and the lake dredge.
"We couldn't afford it then, I don't know why we could afford it now," Doescher said. "I'm not in favor of spending money to tell us that it'll cost us millions of dollars to redo and add on and fix up and remodel the Corn Palace."
Doescher indicated that he would be in favor of certain expenditures on the Corn Palace.
"If the furnace goes out, fix it. If the roof develops a leak, fix it. If the seats are shot, fix it. But we don't need to be spending money needlessly, foolishly," he said.
Doescher is opposed to spending money on the Corn Palace Plaza as well, and that he believes many tourists don't even see the plaza.
"We're better off giving everybody that comes to the Corn Palace $5," he said. "Folks, ask your neighbor, do you want to spend $1.6 million to fix up the plaza and there's not even going to be a bathroom out there?"
Council Member Tim Goldammer, who sits on the Corn Palace Entertainment Board as council liaison, was on the fence about the pros of the renovation outweighing the cons.
"If we're putting all this money in, what are we getting out of it?" Goldammer said. "If we're going to expand the Corn Palace, I want to see what we can do about getting the gift shop not on the floor, and so we can have use of the facility year-round, and that would probably be a big consideration for me."
The full Corn Palace renovation schematic design contract with Schemmer
can be found on the
agenda for the council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the city's website.
Schemmer's contract includes two schematic design concepts, specifically calling out "new mechanical and electrical services ... sized to reasonably accommodate anticipated future remodel," meaning that the electrical and mechanical services would not need to be changed if there is another remodel of the Corn Palace after this renovation is completed. Other items listed to include in the design are boilers and pump replacement for $600,000, new chillers for $800,000, four new air handling units at $1.2 million, and a freight elevator for $550,000.
Council Member Dan Sabers told the Mitchell Republic that he would have to vote to approve the architect contract just so he could see a plan for what is to be included in the Corn Palace renovation.
"I know it's a lot of money, but how would you even bring it to a vote without knowing what you're approving?" Sabers said. "You have to give the people that use it a good product. And number two, you got to give the tourists a good product."
Based on recent discussion, it appears at least four council members are in favor of a renovation, including McCardle, Jeff Smith, Marty Barington, and Susan Tjarks.
In the case of a tie, the vote would fail. Notably,
the last time a vote about spending millions failed because of a tie was on June 20, 2023,
in the case of the resolution to apply for a $25 million loan application to dredge Lake Mitchell, where the council was deadlocked 4-4.
Bathke is encouraging residents to voice their opinion on city spending toward the Corn Palace in person during Tuesday's meeting.
"We haven't listened to the people," Bathke said. "They have an opportunity to come to city council. I hope that they do, but they won't. Most people sit back, and if they have milk in the fridge and gas in their car and their lights turn on, they don't care. And I used to be that guy."
The council will also discuss
a series of money transfers, and obligating city reserves in the amount of nearly $9 million, not counting equipment purchases, contract change orders, and $1.88 million of bills and receipts.
The council will convene as the Board of Adjustment for a variance permit for Todd and Kay Long at 40692 Chase Court, and for a variance permit for Todd and Nancy Boyd at 155 S. Harmon Dr.
The council meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 612 N. Main St. at City Hall. The meetings are typically the first and third Mondays of the month but held on Tuesday this week due to Presidents Day.