Galesburg City Council on Monday night reversed course and ordered an appraisal of the former Churchill Junior High Building.
Council authorized the appraisal after 5 members shot it down two weeks ago.
The final vote was 6 yes, and Ward 1 Alderman Bradley Hix abstained.
Hix has voiced his support for the move though telling WGIL that before he didn’t want to appraise a building while there was an offer from Rob Benedict on the table.
With that offer now off the table, the city will pay up to $2,000 for the work.
Community Development Director Steve Gugliotta explained what happens next.
“A licensed commercial appraiser’s going to come in with a method to provide a range possibly, with the understanding that depreciation’s also going to kick in and will reduce some of what that amount might be. But I think we’ve got three or four different appraisal companies we’re going to talk to to see what their responses are,” says Gugliotta.
Gugliotta says an inventory was taken of the contents inside the building.
That effort was done by a group of community volunteers lead by the city’s Special Projects Coordinator Tom Simkins.
Interim City Manager Wayne Carl says there are roughly 400 desks, an old piano, and some different tables inside.
Carl reminded Council that the appraisal would not include the green space to the north of the building because Council previously decided to preserve that as a green space.
Gugliotta also says they received an estimate on the kitchen equipment District 205 left inside.
The expert in selling and buying kitchen equipment said that possibly all the gear could fetch $15,000 at auction.
Gugliotta says that he’s working on finding someone to give a value estimate on the rest of the building’s contents.
