Historic stage piece to fit in new council chamber
The new tech booth in Owatonna’s remodeled city council chamber will sit behind this front piece of a stage once located in the same spot. Workers were able to remove it in one piece. Staff photo by Joni Hubred
A familiar piece of the old Owatonna city council chamber will have a prominent place in the newly remodeled meeting space.
Crews have been working since an April groundbreaking ceremony on the $2.1 million project. Along with a complete renovation of the existing chamber, they’ll build an addition to the former Minnesota State Public School building, which the city purchased in 1974.
The work includes moving the council dais, improving audio/visual capabilities, installing a new card-access security system, and updating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in the existing building. The addition will house handicapped accessible bathrooms and a small meeting room.
“We want to tie into the new construction whatever we can salvage,” said Jenna Tuma, the city’s parks, recreation, and facilities director. “We’re bringing a little of the old back with us.”
Gutting the chamber also meant removing a stage once used by school children with a broadcast booth. Workers found that they could take out the decorative wood front in one piece, so they’ll be able to reuse it–with a bit of clean-up.
Even decorative metal grates will be cleaned up and returned to their original positions.
The piece will sit in front of a tech room with equipment that will improve audio inside the chamber and council meeting video recordings.
Facility manager Aaron Fitzloff said carpenters will refinish the wood and match the stain with the new council chamber woodwork. While there’s a still a chance it might not all tie together, he said, “we took lots of measurements and as of right now, we think it will fit.”
“The refinishing is a three-part process we’ve mastered to get everything to look the same,” he added.
Tuma said the city has worked closely with the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on the council chamber project; the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Volunteers with the West Hills Commission are working on a historical timeline display that will be installed in a corner near the former stage.
Officials began setting aside funds in 2015 for the renovation project and will also use $900,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
The new addition will house handicapped accessible bathrooms and a small meeting room. The project will also address a crumbling wall on the west side of the building, an area that was discovered as consultants were scoping the project.