Officials Unsure of Biwabik City Hall Future

City Council Recently Voted to Board the Nearly 110 Year Old Building

BIWABIK, Minn. – Biwabik’s old City Hall was built in 1908 and on the outside the building looks to be in great shape.

Since 2009 the building has housed a substation for the Gilbert Police Department.  However, recent inspections turned up some dangerous conditions and the city council voted to board up the nearly 110 year old structure.

“I understand there is some disappointment in the community, for us it’s about the officers’ safety,” said Biwabik City Administrator, Jeff Jacobson.  “It’s a workplace, we got a report back that says there’s asbestos and lead paint in the building.”

According to Jacobson, renovations would cost anywhere from $100,000 to $4 million.  Jacobson says City Hall is like a lot of buildings in similar communities across the country.

“Like a lot of communities, we’ve got older buildings and some resolution needs to be found on what to do with them,” said Jacobson.  “At this point, it’s an issue the council is going to have to explore.”

The city council’s resolution to board City Hall did remove any mention of demolition.  Jacobson says the city isn’t actively looking for a new use.

The Biwabik Fire Department, housed in the building’s south side is staying put as the annex was built with safe materials.