Wilson School housing project on againDeveloper says crews on site next week

At last week’s Cherokee City Council meeting, the owner of the proposed  Wilson School Apartments project provided an update on building renovations.

Shawn Foutch told the council that his crew is getting equipment and materials ready and will be in town the first week in December to begin some roof and floor repairs. 

The council requested that all broken windows are covered as soon as a crew is on site and advised Foutch they will visit with him again in January. The city has shown patience with Foutch and the project since it was first proposed more than four years ago.

After many months of delays, including funding issues, tax credits and grant availability, the Covid pandemic, supply chain interruptions and labor and materials shortages, Foutch reported in July that he expected to have a crew working on the building by the end of July. That did not happen and the project has sat with no activity on site since.

Foutch’s company purchases and renovates historic buildings into apartments, including a former school in Storm Lake. He stepped forward four years ago after the Cherokee Historical Preservation Commission contacted him after the city proposed demolishing the old Wilson building, then deemed to be a hazard and nuisance.

The city inherited the building and its problems after it was sold by the Cherokee Community School District for pennies on the dollar to an owner who failed and walked away. The city and Cherokee Historical Preservation Commission assisted Foutch in purchasing the aged facility. The city has committed $50,000 to date in the project, according to City Administrator Eric List.

A series of setbacks has delayed further action on the building, according to Foutch, who maintains plans are still underway to complete the project in the near future.

Council also held a public hearing on the re-zoning of a vacant land parcel at 210 S. 5th Street. As there was no oral or written comments, the hearing was closed and Council  approved the 1st Reading and waive the 2nd and 3rd readings of an Ordinance Amending the Official Zoning Map and the Zoning Districts as Established in the City Code of Cherokee, Classifying 210 South 5th Street as “M-2” Heavy Industrial District. 

In further action, the City must annually request TIF funding from the County for next fiscal year by December 1 and requested funding from the Foundation and South Industrial URA and South URA, improvements for the Sewer Lines in the South URA and the approved rebates for Foundation Labs and Lopez Foods.

City Public Works Director Luke Gravenish presented a quote from Concrete Raising Services for $16,300 to raise and fill voids on Oak Knoll Drive and council approved the bid.