Town Attorney Karin McGrath and Council Member Hugh Murfin listen to the presentation regarding the old Silver Lake school building. InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels.

SILVER LAKE — The first Silver Lake Town Council meeting of the year, held Wednesday, Jan. 8, began with a presentation by the recently-formed Silver Lake Center Foundation centering on the old Silver Lake school building. 

On May 30, 2018, a final decision regarding the status of the Silver Lake School building was made and all buildings and structures located on the property were ordered to be demolished.

The school had been closed down approximately 10 years prior, at which time Mike Baur expressed an interest in purchasing and renovating the building, which had been slated for demolition. Following Baur’s purchase of the property, the condition of the building continued to deteriorate. 

Laurie Voss, Silver Lake resident, and John Sonnenberg spoke at the November town council meeting and informed council members that a new foundation was formed. At that time, members of the foundation requested that any further demolition efforts be put on hold and asked to be added to the January meeting agenda. 

John Sonnenberg leads a presentation related to the old school building.InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels.

Baur, under the name Silver Lake Partners LLC, still owns the building but has indicated a willingness to sell the building to the Silver Lake Center Foundation for $1, Sonnenberg told council members Wednesday night.

Sonnenberg, speaking on behalf of the foundation, presented three requests to council members. The first request is for the town council to budget $30,000 to go toward costs associated with renovating the building. Sonnenberg said the foundation will attempt to raise funds through other processes and apply for grants as well.

The second request is for the town council to waive fines and fees that have been levied against Baur’s LLC so that the foundation can take ownership of the building without the additional burden of those costs.

Sonnenberg said they are also asking that the town council support the foundation as they apply for grants.

“We can tell people we’re working with the town and that it’s not an adversarial situation like you had with the prior owner,” Sonnenberg said.

Council President Chad Miner said he is opposed to putting any more money into the school.

Sonnenberg told council members the foundation “has done more (with the building) in two months than the previous owner did in 14 years.”

The foundation has retained the services of independent contractor Caleb Addie and Hoosier Gym Events Coordinator Bob Garner.

“There are 30 identified Hoosier gyms in the state of Indiana right now. Over 20 of them are at risk of being demolished, including Silver Lake’s,” Sonnenberg said.

When Miner asked what the criteria is for a gym to be considered a Hoosier-style gym, Sonnneberg replied that this is based on the time period during which the gym was built. 

“The 1930 Depression Era – it was part of the culture of the state at that time,” Sonnenberg said. “There’s like a 20 year period between 1920 and 1940.”

“Currently we have an active demolition order. I don’t want to end up at a point where every time we get ready to conclude the process and do a demolition, then we kind of have this renewed interest to do something with the building,” Miner said.

“I certainly recognize the historical value that the school building has. Then again, you start getting into the question of what’s realistically feasible,” said Miner. “If it’s not ultimately going to be something that’s going to be doable, then I don’t want to just keep kicking the can down the lane and prolonging the inevitable.”

“I don’t think that we, as a council, want to obligate ourselves to any sort of action tonight,” Miner said. 

Sonnenberg said he would like to come back in 30 days with an update and asked council members to keep an open mind.

Last month, representatives from RTC Fiber Communications, Rochester, announced plans for fiber optic infrastructure to be run through Silver Lake, going north to Hill Lake. 

Chad Morgan, project manager, attended Wednesday night’s meeting to request the use of land in Silver Lake in order to put up a building that will be used for electrical purposes and cable storage. The land will be under a lease contract. Morgan will return with quotes and dimensions to the February meeting. 

Other News:

• New council members Medard “Hugh” Murfin and Nichole Taylor replaced former members Phil Shalley and Dana Owens.  
• Karin McGrath will continue to serve as the town attorney in 2020.
• Chad Miner will continue to serve as council president during 2020.
•  The next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 12.