The Festus City Council recently agreed to spend $46,491.47 to repair or improve two city-owned structures.
Part of the funds will be used to stabilize a portion of the foundation for the city-owned commercial complex that houses the Festus Public Library at 400 W. Main St.
The rest of the funds will be used to assess the structural integrity of the Red Barn in the city’s Larry G. Crites Memorial Park.
Festus City Council members voted 7-0 March 13 to approve both expenditures. Councilwoman Staci Templeton was absent from the meeting.
Commercial complex foundation
The council awarded as $34,891.47 contract to Woods Basement Systems to make repairs needed to stabilize a portion of the foundation of the complex where the library and several other businesses operate.
The foundation repairs, however, will target the empty space next to the library, city officials said.
Woods Basement Systems submitted the lowest of two bids for the project.
City Administrator Greg Camp said he did not know when the work would begin.
Other than potential noise, library patrons should not be bothered by the work, he said.
“It will not affect library patrons checking out books,” Camp said.
The city of Festus purchased the entire complex in March 2007 from Victory Tabernacle Church for $750,000. The building consists of the 15,000-square-foot library, plus 13,000 square feet of other office space.
The overall cost of the building, land and renovations came in at $2.5 million, the city has reported.
In February 2009, after renovations to the building, the Festus Public Library moved relocated to the space from its old location at 300 N. Mill St. Then, the city sold the North Mill Street building to Comtrea for $295,000.
Red Barn
The Red Barn at Larry G. Crites Memorial Park in Festus, where the city previously held recreational activities, may be used for that purpose again after a professional assessment and repairs are made to the structure.
The council has decided to pay Bond Architects in St. Louis $11,600 to complete a structural assessment of the Red Barn at the park located along Old Hwy. A.
Camp said the city received requests for quotations from three companies and staff recommended Bond Architects.
“(Bond) will do a structural assessment to see if the barn is sound,” Camp said.
The point of the assessment is to see if it can be repaired so activities can be held there again, he said.
“It’s not being used for events now. It is being used for storage,” Camp said.
In the past, the Seniors in the Park, a lunch event with live music, was held in the Red Barn during Twin City Days.
Staff members said they did not know when the city stopped using the Red Barn for city-sponsored events.
He said he did not know when the structural assessment would be finished.