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Friday, February 11, 2005
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LF council votes to close two historic mansions
Senior Reporter LITTLE FALLS -- After first meeting in a closed session where the future of the Musser and Weyerhaeuser mansions was discussed, the council voted this week to close the historic homes.
The next public discussion about the mansions in Little Falls is expected to be what to do with them.
The city-owned turn-of-the century homes, which are collectively known as the Linden Hill Conference and Retreat Center, will not shut their doors immediately but the process has started. Reservations made will be honored but no new bookings will be accepted.
The council met in closed session before its regular meeting Monday, then added Linden Hill to the agenda. Council members voted unanimously to close the mansions.
"I think the handwriting's been on the wall for quite a while," said Little Falls City Administrator Richard Carlson.
Carlson said he has not heard any public reaction to the city council's decision. He said the council has been talking about the city's budget all year in planning meetings. Council members recently heard from a financial adviser they needed to reduce debt. They reviewed the annual report from Linden Hill Monday.
Linden Hill has been operating for seven years with the homes open to public tours, weddings, events, meetings, as well as overnight retreats. The center made $104,297 in revenue in 2004 and had $179,234 in expenses.
"It's always lost money," Carlson said of the center.
Little Falls Mayor Brian Mackinac said the center is losing $50,000 to $90,000 a year and the buildings need $300,000 to $500,000 in repairs. At the current rate, Mackinac said the fund would be depleted in five years and the city would have an annual operating bill with no benefit to the city.
"It was going to happen now or it was going to happen later whether people liked it or not," Mackinac said.
Mackinac said he thinks the buildings should be sold for a personal residence. "I think the city needs to get out of the business of owning Linden Hill."
The city gained ownership of the mansions in 1995. The homes were built for young lumber barons Richard "Drew" Musser and Charles A. Weyerhaeuser. Laura Jane Musser was the last occupant and wanted the homes to be used for a public purpose. The Laura Jane Musser Trust was set up to honor her wishes and the homes were offered to the city along with a $1 million fund.
The city was required to keep the homes for five years in order to get the full $1 million. Mackinac said he believes the city can use the fund balance, $598,020 as of January, for other purposes such as $100,000 to get matching funds for a bear enclosure at the zoo.
While the money came to the city because of the homes, Mackinac said the money does not have to go to Linden Hill. If all the money went to the mansions for maintenance, the taxpayers would have to pay $70,000 to operate the conference center, Mackinac said. Money from the fund can be used at Linden Hill or money can be moved by a 7/8 vote of the council. It cannot go to the city's general budget, Mackinac said.
Carlson said the idea was to use the interest from the $1 million to maintain the properties, but the council agreed to use interest and the fund itself for operating costs to start the conference center. The council has not decided what to do with the mansions or the fund balance. Carlson said discussions have included selling the buildings, creating a museum or tearing them down.
Hiring a consultant to help find a future use for the buildings was unlikely, Mackinac said.
"I think the council would be against hiring a consultant," he said, adding a consultant hired when the city looked for uses for the buildings said the conference center would work.
The center had a variety of packages. Charges included $10 per person for self-guided tours or $20 with a catered lunch (minimum of 15 people) and $100 per hour for weddings (with a five-hour maximum), all-day meetings were $30 per person and a complete overnight package with three meals and snacks was about $135 per person depending on the group size. Susan Haugen, Linden Hill director, said she did not have a count of the number of people who have been in the mansions. She said will have to turn down a $2,850 booking for a quilter's group that came in Tuesday.
One suggested option is to have the Linden Hill shortfall, $74,938 in 2004, added to property taxes.
"Absolutely (the mansions are) a historic asset to the city and if the public feels it should be put on the property taxes we will certainly find that out," Carlson said.
He said the goal was to stop the financial hemorrhaging and the council members know they still have to fund operations and honor commitments at the conference center this year. The council has not discussed seeking regional partners to help with the mansions, but Carlson said he thought they'd be open to it.
There is no real drive from anybody on the city's part to tear down the buildings, Carlson said. "That isn't our first choice," he said. "I think the council (members) will be taking their time and try to find uses beneficial to the community and area and to save the homes." The homes are on the National Register of Historic Places.
In Brainerd, Lisa Paxton who serves on the governor's Explore Minnesota Tourism Council, said: "Little Falls has always had that historic appeal and Linden Hill conference facility has been, I think, a real jewel in that historic appeal.
"On a statewide level there is a real awareness historical tourism is a real growing segment of the industry. And I would encourage the Little Falls leaders to really assess the facility and explore partnerships with businesses in the area and organizations that could possibly collaborate on the project."
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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