By Kristine Thomas
The Mt. Angel Oktoberfest Board of Directors voted unanimously at its Feb. 19 meeting to pursue grants on its own to build a new Biergarten/Community Building.
The board also agreed to hire Jamie Johnk to write grants to different organizations asking for funding.
Oktoberfest President John Gooley said the board decided not to apply for a federal community block grant with the city of Mt. Angel at this time because “it would be a tremendous amount of paperwork and time to work with the city to get a federal community block grant, so that’s why we decided to take this direction. We feel it would be better if we try to raise the money ourselves.”
The board, Gooley said, has agreed to keep open the option to apply for a community block grant with the city of Mt. Angel if it can’t raise enough funds on its own.
For more than six months Gooley and other board members have been working on a plan to replace the 40-year-old Biergarten/Community Center.
“The board feels it’s time to replace the old building with a new one because of the money it is spending on heating costs and repairs for the old building,” Gooley said. “It’s frustrating to see our hard-earned money go into a building that has outlived its purpose rather than putting the money back into the community.”
The roof on the current building needs to be replaced, the bathrooms upgraded and the kitchen needs to be updated, he said.
“It would cost us more than $200,000 to make repairs to the building,” Gooley said. “The building is not energy efficient and can cost us an extra $200 to $300 in heat for weekend events during the winter.”
Gooley estimates it will cost between $1.2 and $1.3 million to construct a new building.
“Our vision for the new building is it to be a true community building where the people of Mt. Angel have access to it for wedding, school and church events,” Gooley said.
Gooley said the plan is to build a new facility at the site of the current building. Ideally, he said, he would like the building to be torn down as soon as possible, construction beginning on the new building in October 2009, and the new building ready for Oktoberfest 2010. If the building is removed before Oktoberfest 2009, the board plans to use a tent for its biergarten at another location.
Gooley said the Oktoberfest board would like a building that can be used by the community throughout the year.
About 16 years ago, Gooley said the Oktoberfest board started the Mt. Angel Community Foundation as a way to set aside money for future projects “for the community down the road.” Although the foundation has several accounts, Gooley said, one is specified for Oktoberfest projects.
“In 16 years, we have set aside $250,000 for a worthwhile community project,” he said. “We didn’t want to take our savings to make repairs to a building that is going to need more repairs down the road.”
Some of the grants Johnk is applying for need matching funds. “That is what the $250,000 will be used for,” Gooley said.
He added he’s excited to be involved in a project that will benefit all of Mt. Angel. Those interested in making a donation to the project or with questions are invited to contact Jerry Lauzon at 503-845-6989 or Jim Hall at 503-845-6989.
