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The Albert Lea City Council voted unanimously Monday to move forward with an offer to purchase the former Broadway Theater building in preparation for its demolition likely later this year. 

The action authorizes City Manager Ian Rigg to offer $20,000 for the property, at 338 S. Broadway. The agreement also includes up to $10,000 in moving costs for the city manager to use to hire a contracted service to remove the personal items of the current owner. 

“Essentially by us owning the property instead of going through court, we’re saving on any potential legal time and expenses, court filings, any delays any potential increases in costs by having these delays or restricted timelines …” he said. “In the end what we’re really paying for is efficiency in the process and a little bit of control for potential redevelopment moving forward.” 

The council in March voted to abate the building, declaring it as hazardous. At that time, the city said it had worked with the property owners for about four years on other options for the building. 

City Building Official Wayne Sorensen said it would cost upwards of $700,000 just for exterior repairs needed to make the building stable. That did not include costs for the interior. 

The building, built in 1902, spans almost 9,000 square feet at the corner of Broadway Avenue and College Street.   

In response to a question from 2nd Ward Councilor Larry Baker about the estimated cost of the demolition, Rigg said he did not have an idea on an estimate as the city has not been able to fully inspect the building or test it for asbestos. How much is left inside the building by the current owner will also play a part in cost. 

The city will make its demolition landfill available during the demolition process. 

He said presently the city has budgeted between $200,000 to $300,000 for the project. 

The city manager said by purchasing the building, it increases the city’s chances of having tax increment finance funds repay the city a greater portion of the cost of the land value after demolition and assessments. He said the purchase price is worth the benefit of time and control knowing that the cost to raze the building far exceeds the land value. 

Baker asked that once the city owns the building, anything of historical value be taken to the History Center of Freeborn County. 

Rigg said the History Center had already reached out about this as well, and he said they would look to see if anything can be salvaged that the organization might be interested in. 

Plans for the near future after demolition are to grade the land and then probably plant grass the following year. 

“But hopefully in the next 12 months we will maybe have a plan with a developer that will put forward a redevelopment plan,” Rigg said.