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Hennessey’s new assistant fire chief raised some safety issues in waiting to restore one of the town’s older structures during a recent town board meeting.

“If we had a fire it would all go up,” said James Matousek about the town’s public library on Main Street.

It would be a “disturbing issue as far as getting people out” of that building, he told town board members during their Thursday night meeting.

“Anyone in the southwest part (reference section) of that building would be trapped.”

The 3,000 square-foot library is housed in a brick structure built in 1928 for a high school.

From 1964-84 it served as the elementary school and was later acquired by the town.

Gifts to library

Matousek’s comments were made during a discussion about board member Richard Simunek’s request for the town to accepthis endowment funds to preserve the library, auditorium and old high school gym.

The $1.35 million donation must be matched and also includes his downtown properties, but would not take effect until after his death.

Simunek, who is in his mid-70s, said his doctor told him he was in good health and had several more years to live.

“I don’t know that you can wait 15 years about doing something (with that building),” said Matousek, who was appointed assistant fire chief that night

About Matousek

Matousek has been a member of the fire department for 35 years and served as fire marshal for many of those years.

He a Hennessey and farmer/cattleman who was a town board member and mayor in the late 1980s and 1990s.

He was recommended for the assistant chief’s job by Mayor Bert Gritz, who is also the fire chief.

Gritz said Matousek had been serving as the assistant chief since Tim Riddle retired from the fire department

Gifts have limitations

Gritz told Simunek, “This is a wonderful gift,” but said he didn’t think the board could accept it because it would tie the hands of future boards, “and I also have concerns about the limitations of the gifts.”

“I do too,” said board member Wes Hardin.

Simunek said if the town rejects his offer to keep the structure and revitalize it then his money will go to OSU.

Gritz suggested they table Simunek’s request to accept his gifts until both he and Simunek could look at the building and see exactly what needs to be done.

Simunek agreed to a walk-through.

Architect needed?

Gritz said they could get an architect to also look at the building.

Simunek said an architect would just want to design a new building.

Tiffany Tillman, town administrator, said she’d ask the state for names of architects who have worked on Main Street projects.

“Preservation is what drives me,” said Simunek who has transformed the old Champlin gas station at Main and Second streets into upscale apartments.

He has also refurbished the former Sinclair Station on the northeast corner of Main and Third and wants to give both properties to the town upon his death, but his conditions must be followed.

Condition of structure

Simunek said the brick is good at the library, but the roof is bad and it’s important to weigh the costs of a new library against preserving the old one.

He said there should be a town-wide election to decide what should be done.

Tillman said it would cost the town about $1,500 to hold an election.

When Simunek announced his gifts earlier this year he stipulated that if the auditorium is remodeled, it would require approval from both the Friends of the Library and a commuvote.

“We’ve invested a lot of money in that building,” said Gritz. “We’ve put in windows, heat and air, and I’d hate to think what it would cost for electrical.”

Wiring problems?

“Farmer’s (Electric) was there recently,” said Library Director Ruth Ann Replogle from the audience. “They were afraid to even make an estimate of what it would cost when I asked for one.”

“The wiring down there scares me,” Gritz said. “It’s a nightmare, literally. I’m not sure we could even save the fire station (located immediately north of the library) if there was a fire.”

Balcony in library auditorium

Matousek said the balcony in the auditorium is a “fire hazard” and town employees should not be allowed up there because there is no fire escape.

Replogle said that storage area has been cleaned out and no one is allowed to go up there.

Gritz said he thought the library budget is $70,000 and “that’s more than our street department.”

Replogle asked if the auditorium and stage could be eliminated since it’s much of the library’s utility costs.

Gritz said he didn’t know if it’s a load bearing wall.

Other Simunek property gifts

He asked Simunek about the old barber shop property in the 100 block of North Main that he wants to gift to the town as an entrepreneur center.

“Future boards may have some other need for it,” Gritz said, then suggested Simunek rewrite his gifting plans so the board would know exactly what they’d be accepting.

Simunek’s next agenda item about a helicopter pad east of the fire station was discussed next.

Gritz said there was no plan for a concrete pad, but that has been used in the past for medical helicopters.

He said last year there was an accident and a medical helicopter landed at the practice field on Mitchell Road across from the school.

“Helicopters are like magnets for children,” Gritz said. “So for the safety of children, it’s good to have that space behind the fire department.”

He asked Simunek if he refers to the fire station, day care center and tornado shelter as part of the “old school grounds” in his gifts to the town when his gift also stipulated that only a new museum could be built there.

Simunek said he did not.

Fire station expansion

Gritz said he asked because as some point the fire department will probably need more space.

“With the addition of a three-story hotel and now a two-story event center, we may need to get a ladder truck to keep our ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating down so we’ll need some place to expand.”

“South would be best,” said Matousek.

All members were present for the March 12 meeting: Vice Mayor Clif Vogt, Keith Meek, Gritz, Simunek and Hardin.

In addition to Tillman, also at the board table was Treasurer Teresa Weber.

Absent due to illness was Curtis Turner, public works department.

Staff in the audience were Police Chief Hank Weber and Replogle.