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New home for Lithopolis government
(by Linda Dillman - June 21, 2010)
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| Messenger photo by Linda Dillman |
| Following a six-year-long process, Lithopolis Mayor Eric Sandine and the Lithopolis village offices moved into permanent headquarters in a new municipal building on Lithopolis Road. The complex is located in a renovated 100-year-old farmhouse previously owned by the Fridley family. |
Following stints in a now-defunct post office and a former gas station, Lithopolis' municipal village offices now have a permanent home in a restored more than century old farmhouse.
Work crews, including Mayor Eric Sandine and Administrator Ed VanVickle, are putting the final touches on the interior and exterior of the Fridley House, perched atop a rise at 11820 Lithopolis Road. Built around 1900, the white, two-story structure served as the James Fridley homestead until the village purchased it in 2004 for $210,000 with plans to convert it into a municipal building.
In addition to the eight-room house-now transformed into five rooms of office and meeting space-the deal included a garage, multi-story cow barn, and an additional out building on the one acre parcel near a housing development. In a separate agreement with Dominion Homes, Lithopolis received the surrounding seven acres of land.
Inside, the structure retains the charm of its former life. Original oak flooring abuts a modern counterpart; narrow winding staircases - flanked by both a code-compliant railing and 19th century banister - show the wear of more than 100 years of use; and glass transoms top second floor doorways low enough to force taller individuals to bend down as they pass through.
"When we were working on the walls, we discovered it was insulated in newspapers and we pulled one out that was dated from 1910," said Sandine.
The first floor is home to the utility billing office, where residents pay their utility bills; mayor's court clerk; and public space for council meetings and mayor's court. The second floor houses Sandine's and VanVickle's offices, along with west-facing space for the fiscal officer, and a conference room where a chimney once stretched from the basement to the roof.
A narrow back staircase leads from the mayor's office down to the first floor, into an area that once served as the kitchen, where two Americans with Disabilities Act compliant restrooms are located.
"After we bought the house, we had to put in another $100,000 to bring it up to commercial code, which is a lot more restrictive than residential code," said Sandine. "We received a $40,000 Community Development Block Grant in 2007, which was used to cover most of the material costs for the project."
Sandine said, in addition to specialized services, such as plumbing and electrical work, village employees provided in-kind work, which made up the village's portion of the matching funds. The project took longer than expected because no one wanting to bid on the $40,000 in materials, so the village had to get a waiver to buy it.
"There were also other issues we had to contend with, such as getting a waiver for the staircase," said Sandine. "Limited manpower and other projects slowed work on the building. But once we really got started, it took about a year and a half, which is about as long as it would take if we did a new build. The job couldn't have been completed without the hard work and dedication of village Administrator Ed VanVickle."
The village received an occupancy permit in May and started the moving process. An open house will be held in July, when all village meetings, including regular council sessions and mayor's court, will take place at the new municipal building.
As for the fate of Lithopolis' former municipal complexes, Sandine said the police department will move from the old post office site and shift operations to the previous village office. Plans then call for rehabilitation of the Columbus Street site into a community arts center with performing, visual, and display space.
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