Caretakers House Coalition issues statement

On Monday the Caretaker's House Coalition (TCHC), represented by Deborah Bishop, Janelle Pavlovec, Julie Fischer and Sean Devine-Meyer, met with county supervisors to discuss preserving the Caretaker's House for adaptive reuse.  On Tuesday group representatives Julie Fischer  and Janelle Pavlovec submitted the following letter to the editor:

1) All of the historic preservation organizations agree that the best option to pursue for the Caretaker's House is adaptive reuse on site. The Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission (WCHPC) met Saturday, March 12th, and voted to draft a letter to the Board of Supervisors, listing preservation on site as number 1 priority. Secretary Dave Stanley was directed to draft and send the letter.

2) As reported by Jim Burns, OHFA member, the Oneota Historic Futures Alliance (OHFA) has never wanted to remove the building and would like to be released from its contract.  (Editor's note: Jim Burns has told decorahnews.com that the Oneota Historic Future Alliance will tell county supervisors on Monday that it plans to fulfill its demolition contract with the county.)

3) Wellington Place Board has expressed no plans for the space on which the house sits and no urgency to remove the building. They are concerned only that any reuse of the building be compatible with their mission.

4) The broader community has expressed interest in developing the Caretaker's House as a multi-purpose facility and the coalition has provided the supervisors with an information packet describing those ideas as well as the organizations which might be involved.

5) The Caretaker's House Coalition has a significant amount of funds to put forward the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. They are also exploring funding from other sources.

6) Preservation is the most sustainable option and will benefit the county.  Preservation would use 60-70 percent labor, the services of plumbers, electricians, and carpenters who in turn contribute to the local economy. It would attract "heritage tourists" who tend to stay longer and spend more money in the community.

7) The Caretaker's House is one of the old buildings at the County Home which is first on the list of buildings worthy to preserve in Decorah Township, according to the Resolution/ Proclamation establishing the Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission.

After providing this report, TCHC requested that the Board of Supervisors rescind the contract with OHFA for removal of the house and negotiate a new agreement with the TCHC to further explore development of the property with interested individuals, historic preservation and other organizations. The Coalition would commit to making quarterly reports of their progress to the Board of Supervisors.

In discussion Supervisor Bill Ibanez questioned how OHFA became the organization in charge of the Caretaker's House in the first place. Since the Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission is the legally designated entity to evaluate and advise the Supervisors on historic buildings and not OHFA, he asked, "Is the current contract with OHFA even valid?"

Janelle Pavlovec, a member of the WCHPC, researched the original Resolution commissioning the WCHPC.  She will provide more readable copies for all supervisors to review.  She reminded supervisors of the Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission's duties and asked that a liaison be appointed to the commission from the Board of Supervisors to ensure more continuity of communications in future regarding decisions affecting historic buildings.