Masonry expert’s opinion; Hoosier Desk in pretty good shape
In response to a meticulous 231-page report on nearly every crack, warp, leak and lean in the Hoosier Desk building two weeks ago, Ken and Paul Sternberg have released their own reports on the Hoosier Desk building.
The reports from an Indianapolis-based engineering firm and a specialist in masonry restoration — both with backgrounds in restoring buildings like Hoosier Desk — offer a much rosier picture of the 100-plus-year-old building near the heart of Jasper.
“I didn’t agree with certain parts of the report from Universal Design, so I hired these two companies to give their opinions,” Ken said.
One area of Universal Design’s report that has people concerned is the southern-most three-story exterior wall that is leaning and bowed. During a special meeting held in June, Jonathon Pund, a structural engineer with the firm, stated the wall next to Village Pizzeria was leaning 9 inches towards the interior. That lean combined with a bow running vertically and horizontally was putting the wall in a strain that could cause a collapse, according to the engineer.
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But, according to masonry expert Jason McCoy of Bramwell-McKay Masonry Consulting & Education of Loogootee, the wall is stable. “I would have no compunction about parking my car there and hanging out,” he said.
McCoy writes in his report, “With regard to this area of the structure being dangerous, the amount of deflection in the worst area of the building pales in comparison to the majority of historic structures assessed by this examiner over the last 25 years. The notion that the public is threatened by the condition of this building is absurd”
Matthew Holbrook, who operates a structural engineering firm in Indianapolis, agreed with McCoy’s report. Both firms recommended the parapet wall be taken down and relaid if the building were to be used as a public space.
“But, people take down and relay parapet walls all the time,” McCoy said in an interview.
McCoy expected the repair of the wall to be about $112,200, and Holbrook estimated the cost to make the building usable would be comparable to the construction of a new building.
“Overall the buildings are in reasonably good shape and would make a fine choice for a reuse project,” Holbrook stated in his report.
McCoy is a specialist in the field of masonry restoration and preservation, he teaches causes of masonry failure for the American Institute of Architects to architects and engineers for their licensure. “I designed and wrote the course,” he said.
McCoy, a 1985 graduate of Jasper High School, seemed somewhat puzzled by the difference in Jasper’s view of old buildings compared to other areas of the state and country. In recent years, the city has torn down and then rebuilt the Jasper City Mill and the Jasper Train Depot. Both of which are tourist attractions. The train servicing the depot is consistently sold to capacity during its season and the city mill hosted the national convention for the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills last year.
“It is a change in perspective for Jasper,” McCoy said. “People go to great lengths to restore and preserve buildings in every city I have worked in except here in Jasper. I think here at home we have a culture of if it is not brand new and perfect, we are going to bulldoze and put something there that is brand new and perfect. That simply isn’t done in other areas.”
The Jasper Library Board of Trustees will likely make a decision this week on whether a combined effort by the City of Jasper’s arts department and the Jasper Public Library should be pursued.
They have received an estimate to make the recommended repairs needed according to the 231-page report completed by Universal Design of Ferdinand. A combined meeting is scheduled for Monday (tonight) at 6 p.m. at the Kimball Educational Conference Center, 1155 W. 12th Ave. to discuss costs associated with the building. The Jasper Library Board and Jasper Community Arts Commission will be in attendance with representatives from Universal Design as well as CityVision — the Louisville firm hired to develop the Downtown + Riverfront Master Plan.
The Jasper Library operates on a budget funded through property taxes of the areas it services — specifically Jasper Madison, Boone, Bainbridge and the City of Jasper. The most recent assessed tax rate for the library was .0707 cents per $100 of assessed property value. For the library to take on a project that is expected to exceed $2 million, a special referendum must be held to increase the property tax rate in those districts to pay for the expenditure. If approved, the added cost to the taxpayer would not be subject to the property tax cap.
The library’s goal is to have a choice in front of taxpayers in the November 2016 election.
The City of Jasper Arts Department is funded through the city who’s income is mainly sourced through property taxes but does receive economic development income taxes.
The Jasper Community Arts Commission has been advocating for an expansion of its current facility for several years and has been fundraising for the project. Those funds, as well as the city’s own ability to issue bonds for the project, could be used to pay for any project in the Hoosier Desk or otherwise.
The process of examination by Universal Design and the subsequent report with the many defects of the building has taken its toll on the Sternbergs who attest they just want to see Jasper continue to develop and preserve its past.
“The downtown is like the living room of your home. That is what people see when they visit your house, and it is what people see when they come to visit,” Ken said. “These buildings draw people. We need to keep old buildings like this and find new uses for them, or we could lose the character of our past.”
Ken compared the reuse of the Hoosier Desk to the redevelopment that has occurred in French Lick.
“The nice thing about Hoosier is that it is in a prime location for some big complex whether it is the library and arts or something else,” Ken said. “It’s like downtown Chicago or St. Louis, if you put these new uses in them, it is just that much neater. That attracts people from everywhere.”
More meetings this week will likely speak to the library’s decision. Tuesday the Jasper Community Arts Commission meets for their regular meeting at 4:30 p.m at Jasper City Hall,
The library board will then meet in a special meeting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Library Annex, 1103 Main St. and then hold their regular meeting Thursday at 4:30 p.m in the Annex as well.
The public can attend all the meetings.
