More than $1 million in repairs are needed to the exterior of the Shady Oaks high rise building, according to an architect with Zenk Read & Trygstad.

Tim Reisnour, vice president with the architect firm, outlined the damages to the building and repairs needed during the Albert Lea Housing and Redevelopment Authority board meeting Monday.

Reisnour said the company was asked to assess the building and reviewed the existing masonry, the window curtain wall, sealant and roofing. It found that the through-wall flashing and masonry weeps had been sealed up at some time in the past, trapping moisture inside the wall. This has lead to moisture damage and deterioration of the masonry.

He said though the damage was primarily on the east wall of the building, there is some damage on the north and south sides. He noted the building needed to be stabilized this year to avoid bricks falling and injuring someone below. The condition of the building would only worsen in the winter with the freezing and thawing cycles.

“It only takes one brick to kill someone,” Reisnour said.

Albert Lea Finance Director Kristi Brutlag, who is overseeing the HRA in the interim before a new executive director is hired, said the city is checking to see whether insurance would cover any of the repairs, though it is unlikely it would.

Board members talked about how the agency would come up with the funds to cover the full repairs or whether there could be a quicker fix in the meantime to reduce liability and give the agency more time to apply for grants for the full project in the next two to three years.

Jolene Pfau, with SMR Inc., a consultant firm out of Mankato that has been hired on a contract basis to assist the HRA, said some of the funds could come through capital fund program funds that are allocated each year through Congress for public housing. The funds are based on items such as budgets and occupancy rates.

Pfau said of the funds the HRA received through this source in 2017, there was still about $114,000 remaining. A project has to be identified and a contract in place to utilize these funds before Aug. 15.

The HRA also was given about $324,000 for 2018 and about $337,000 in 2019. If the organization took out 20% for operating expenses as in previous years, the remainder could be used for the project.

Pfau said the Department of Housing and Urban Development had previously been told the HRA would use the 2017 funds for tuckpointing and the 2018 and 2019 funds for elevators at the building, though that can be changed.

The building went about six months with only one elevator, and the second elevator was recently repaired.

Pfau and Brutlag said there are other sources for government loans the agency might be able to apply for to obtain the remaining funds.

Albert Lea City Councilor Larry Baker, who is an ex-officio board member, asked Reisnour if he had an estimated timeline on how long the building could go before it started having bigger problems.

Reisnour said he thinks something needed to be done this year to stabilize the building. He estimated that would cost an estimated $150,000.

Though a few of the board members talked about not wanting to pay for a temporary fix only to have to fix it in full a few years down the road, they acknowledged the need to do something soon as a short-term fix for safety purposes.

No official action was taken.

 

Discussion on HRA executive director delayed

The Housing and Redevelopment Authority board’s selection of the finalists for the executive director position was postponed until Thursday. The board will meet at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers to discuss and narrow down the field of finalists to bring in to interview.