Board of Supervisors discusses future of the Makee Manor building

by Bob Beach

During its regular meeting Monday, April 22, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors discussed the maintenance of the Makee Manor building following the recent closure of the residential care facility. Board Chairman Larry Schellhammer said that the future use of the building remains open for discussion, but noted that there will be significant expense involved in repairs and modifications before the building could be used.
As to what that future alternative use may be, Schellhammer said that “everything is on the table.” The Board agreed that a public meeting should be organized to gather public input on possible future uses of the building.
Allamakee County Courthouse Head Custodian Mike Gallagher said that there are a number of maintenance tasks that will need to be performed between now and when the County takes possession of the building July 1; the boiler will need to be maintained and the water tower, well and septic lagoon will need to be maintained and tested in order keep certifications up to date.
The Board agreed to offer Randy Dehli, the former Makee Manor building superintendent, a contract to help organize remaining equipment parts and chemicals and to train Gallagher and Emergency Management Director Chris Dahlstrom on required maintenance duties. Dahlstrom contacted Dehli by phone with the Board’s offer of $360 for a one-month contract spending six hours per week for organizational and training purposes.
The Board also held a public hearing regarding a rezoning request from Olympus Media to allow for a billboard adjacent to the Hennessy Towing property on Highway 76. Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Tom Blake said that Olympus has withdrawn its request because the Iowa Department of Transportation would regard a zoning change as “spot zoning” and would deny the permit application for the billboard, even if the County agreed to the rezoning. Blake said that Olympus has arranged to have the current billboard removed and to have a new billboard constructed at an alternative location. Hearing no public comments, the Board closed the public hearing and took no further action on the rezoning request.
In other business, the Board approved an application for a $10,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Public Health for substance abuse prevention. The Board also set Monday, May 13 at 9:30 a.m. as the date and time for a public hearing on the county’s budget for fiscal year 2013.