Village hall to be reorganized following flood damage

FREMONT – The Village Board is making plans to reorganize the Village Hall layout and reopen public restrooms for the summer season following recent flood damage.

The recent record spring flooding brought contaminated water into the municipal building at 317 Wolf River Dr., ruining carpets, lower wood cabinetry and up to four feet of drywall. Volunteers saved the library’s 17,000-piece collection, valued at $350,000, by temporarily relocating it to the building’s gymnasium. The library will be permanently relocated to a new building this fall.

The Village Board held a meeting last week at the Town Hall to discuss plans for repairing and reorganizing Village Hall. Trustee Mary Ann Oehlke said the village currently lacks a budget for comprehensive hall repairs.

Trustee Taylor Berndt said the village’s insurance policy won’t cover the damage because the Village Hall is located in a “flood fringe.” To be covered, the village would have needed to carry a separate flood insurance policy through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which it did not have. The village is working with the county to seek federal reimbursement for the damages, he said.

Residents who spoke at the meeting supported maintaining the building’s gymnasium, which is frequently used by senior walking groups, homeschoolers and youth programs. One resident also suggested adding a pickleball court to the vacant gymnasium space to help turn it into a multi-use community center.

One attendee also urged the board to reopen the hall’s restrooms, noting that large crowds attending the Webfooter Water Ski Show’s 50th-anniversary events have seen long lines for portable toilets.

A representative from the sheriff’s office asked the board to maintain a police footprint in the building to preserve the community’s safe prescription drug drop box.

Under the plan favored by the board, the Village Clerk will relocate to the current council room to utilize its existing vault and gain working space. The council room will move into the larger, vacant former library space, which is expected to better accommodate public meeting attendance and elections. The police department will take over the clerk’s former office.

Village Board officials agreed that rearranging the Village Hall layout would be the most cost-efficient use of the space. It was noted at the meeting that the immediate priority is to repair the drywall and reopen the public restrooms as soon as possible.

The Village Hall will remain the designated polling location, however for the August election both the town and village elections will be held together at Town Hall, which is located at E7403 Hwy 110. The Village Clerk’s Office has temporarily moved operations to the Town Hall.