All Offers Will Be Considered for Police and Fire Building

If you’re interested in owning a historic building located in the heart of a picturesque downtown area, the Village of Greendale has just the deal for you.

Just as they did in 2006, village officials have agreed to put Greendale’s old police and fire station back on the market, the next step in seeing what – if anything – can be done with the building that has stood behind the west shops since 1938.

Village trustees agreed to review any and all bids on the police station for a period of 90 days. The Village Board will sift through the proposals, assuming there are some, and try to move on from the 15-year-old question of ‘What do we do with this building?’

“We’ll bring in any idea, any concept,” Village Manager Todd Michaels said. “Tear down the building and build a large apartment complex? Sell the building for $1 to the Historical Society? Partner with a developer to turn it into something viable? I don’t think anybody knows what it’s going to be, but this is the first step in trying to get that question answered.”

Abate or not

While it collects proposals over the next three months, the board will hold off on abating the asbestos and lead in the building. Trustee Sally Chadwick wanted to abate the building, saying whether the building is saved or torn down, the hazardous materials have to be cleared out, but voted in favor of the measure anyway.

“I have always, absolutely loved the idea that you take that building and use part of it for a meeting room,” she said. “Return the bathrooms to a working order, thrown on some paint. Let’s spend the money and get it back to that point.”

One of the latest abatement estimates was approximately $18,000. Michaels said if the building is abated, it could have been used for storage only in its current condition.

Trustee Al Sikorski cautioned against considering proposals that include tearing the building down.

“We have to honor the historic portion of the old police station,” he said. “Once you do that, you never have it back. Once you screw it up, it’s done. We should have the Historical Society involved, no matter what.”

Trustee Jim Birmingham, who voted against the move to sell because he was in favor of abating the building first, recalled meeting after meeting back in the late 1990s about what to do with the building. No idea came to fruition.

“This is our second shot on this,” he said.

Residents speak out

Residents at the meeting agreed it was time to do something with the building. Some spoke out against any proposals that include high-density apartments being built behind the west shops where the municipal parking lot and police station sit.

Using the space for apartments was a controversial topic in 2012, an idea village officials backed off of when many residents stressed they were opposed.

But those residents feel the apartment conversation has begun again after Village President John Hermes mentioned the idea at a Community Development Authority meeting last month.

“I’m trying to understand why apartments continue to come up when clearly there is no demand for them,” Luke Huberty said Tuesday. “People move to the suburbs to get away from high density.”

Jackie Kraemer agreed, and said if the village continues to consider apartments for that part of town, Hermes would be going back on his word. She cited a letter Hermes sent to residents last April that said, in part:

“I want to assure you that we heard your feedback and it will be incorporated into the ongoing public process. Specifically, we will be working with our Plan Commission to develop concepts that do not include housing, for consideration by the Plan Commission and Village Board.”

“It’s being talked about in the CDA, and it’s coming up again,” she said. “You put pen to paper and this is your word. I’m not happy about it and I’ll keep letting people know.”

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