County Board approves spending $1,500 on "mitigation" of North Building demolition

The Winneshiek County Board has agreed to give $1,500 to the Winneshiek County Historic Preservation Commission to pay for steps aimed at lessening the impact of demolishing the North Building at Wellington Place.

David Stanley from Bear Creek Archeology and the WCHPC said such money would pay for hiring a consultant to physically catlgue the building, producing 2-D and 3-D images of the structure before it is torn down.

Stanley said the consultant would measure the interior spaces of the building and make architectural sketches. 

Decorah resident Deborah Bishop disputed the use of the term "mitigation" to describe the practice, saying the demolition would be "a very painful experience."

County Board Chair John Logsdon, the only supervisor to vote against the proposal, asked several questions of Stanley about the timing of the mitigation and how that would fit in with the schedule of demolition.  The resolution that passed the county board on a 4-1 vote required for the mitigation plan to fit in with the plans of Wellington Place and with the plans of Bruening Rock Products, which has been hired to tear down the building, although a schedule for the work has not yet been determined.