A new use for the old library on West Main Street should attract people to downtown, fit with existing businesses, add to the tax roll, and retain the historic façade, members of the Ellsworth Village Community Development Authority said at their Sept. 19 meeting.

Following the Senior Center’s move from the building at 312 W. Main St., village officials are considering options for future use. The village’s Finance, Purchasing and Buildings Committee has recommended sale.

The building “has a lot of potential,” CDA member Dale Hines said.

Member Kaydi Sobottka said “we owe it to the taxpayers” to get the building on the property tax rolls quickly.

Whoever buys the building likely will have to spend a significant amount upgrading its heating and ventilation systems to bring them up to current codes, CDA member Paul Bauer said.

The members asked Village Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Brad Roy to further explore options for marketing the building with an eye toward uses that fit with village goals.

Roy said he will speak informally with consulting firms and draft a request for proposals for future development that would be consistent with the four criteria the CDA members support.

Roy noted that three groups have “expressed interest” in the building. Village President Becky Beissel said it’s important for the CDA to discuss potential future uses before reaching out to people who might be interested.

In a report to the CDA, Roy said the site is on two parcels, both of which are zoned commercial, which would allow for a broad range of businesses selling goods or services. He indicated he spoke with a commercial and a local real estate agent about the site. “The commercial realtor can provide a targeted marketing plan, if the desired future use is known,” his report said.

A 2023 report from the architectural firm CBS2 said the masonry building, a split-level two-story structure, “is in relatively good condition, considering its age” but none of the entrances meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, Roy’s report said. Other needed upgrades include removal of asbestos, modernizing of plumbing fixtures, and repair of faux column bases, steps and various locations on stone sills.

On other matters, CDA members asked Roy to refine and correct a list of village lots with no assessed value that he obtained from the village assessor’s office. The list could be used to identify infill development opportunities, he said.

“The utilities are already there. The roads are already there,” Roy noted.

In a report to the CDA, Roy said, “It would be helpful to have an inventory of those lots along with relevant information regarding the zoning, buildability with respect to slopes or other unique factors, future land use (as identified in the Comprehensive Plan), etc. This inventory could be provided to developers interested in the village.”

Sobottka said, “If we want people to come here, we have to make it easy.”