AUBURN - Amy Carver-Dobson doesn't know what all the fuss is about in trying to save the dilapidated Kalet's Department Store building along downtown's State Street Mall.
The city should concentrate on a number of other historic buildings in need of renovation, rather than the Art Deco-style building that once housed a women's clothing store, Carver-Dobson told city councilors Thursday night.
"There's nothing that looks like it needs to be preserved on this building on the outside," she said, adding there are other distinctive-looking downtown buildings that do warrant restoration efforts.
Nonetheless, the City Council took the first step Thursday night to decide the future of the 57-year-old landmark, which has become an eyesore after years of neglect. Councilors unanimously agreed to spend $5,000 to hire the Auburn-based Beardsley Design Associates to study whether to tear the abandoned building down or save it.
People are also reading…
Beardsley will determine cost estimates for the building's demolition and figure out how much it would cost to replace the rotting roof, which has a gaping hole. City administrators contend the roof must be repaired before inclement weather sets in or nothing can done to save it later. The firm will prepare bids for both options.
The costly work of asbestos removal must also be completed, no matter if the building is preserved or demolished, city officials have said.
Sandra Craner, executive director of the Auburn Downtown Partnership, urged councilors Thursday to consider saving the building. Craner said the building can be an integral part of a downtown Renaissance. If it's restored, she said, the building could be used for retail, office or living space.
"I do believe it'll be a great tragedy if we tear it down, even if it's not like other downtown buildings," Craner said. A rejuvenated Kalet building could join a new barber shop and two restaurants soon opening in the city's business district to help turn around downtown, she said.
If the building is razed, the parcel would likely become a parking lot, city officials have said.
An unnamed developer is interested in redeveloping the building, although the proposed project is in its preliminary stages, City Manager John Salomone said Thursday night. A few months ago, the developer told city officials that the two-story masonry structure would become a mixture of retail and office space.
Every so often, a developer has expressed an interest in the old building, but has backed off after seeing the building's deteriorating condition. Prospective developers have also said they'd be interested only if the pedestrian mall was opened to vehicular traffic. Council members could decide to eliminate the mall this fall as a part of an overall downtown-improvement project.
The city has about $50,000 set aside in Community Development Block Grant money that could be used for repairing the roof and other work on the building, which has been vacant since the store closed during the early 1980s.
To reach Staff Writer Craig Fox, call 253-5311, Ext. 237.
