After being caught in the crossfire of the downtown revitalization debate, the newly named Krug Activity Center, also known as historic city hall, will receive $117,000 in repairs this year.
During the July 2 meeting, Kyle City Council unanimously voted to approve the $117,020 repair cost assessment from Western Specialty Contractors of America, a Buda company specializing in repairing historical buildings. The Krug Activity Center will see repairs begin within the next two to three months, according to city staff.
The council previously voted 4-2 in April to deny the repairs, at least temporarily, until the council could come closer to an agreement regarding the city’s downtown area. The Krug Activity Center sits center in the city’s downtown square, an area that has been a hot debate topic in recent months.
Many downtown residents in Kyle have petitioned city leaders to reconsider the purpose and direction of the sector. Council members have attempted to further commercialize the area, but nearby homeowners have refuted each attempt. The debate sparked a series of town hall meetings in June that culminated in the decision to encourge commercialization after a vote July 2, to accept the 10-year revitalization plan proposed in 2009.
Now, the historic building will receive roof repairs and other external fixes to keep the building intact and safe for use. The building needs holes repaired in the roof, bricks re-fastened around the building and other structural repairs.
The funding for the project was included in last year’s budget, said Kerry Urbanowicz, Kyle Parks and Recreations director. Urbanowicz said the building is protected as a historical site and will not be changed, just repaired.
“It’s our downtown centerpiece,” Urbanowicz said. “We’re dealing with a building that’s special and it is more time consuming. It would be half the price if it wasn’t historical.”
The building is one of the oldest in Kyle and was formerly known as the Historic City Hall. Earlier this year, with the help of longtime resident Penny Krug, the city renamed the building after Pete Krug, her husband.
Pete Krug was a long-term Kyle resident who passed in December 2017. Pete Krug was a law enforcement officer for more than 25 years, spent time as a volunteer firefighter and was Kyle’s mayor for two terms.
Penny Krug offered to sell their house downtown to the city, which is still on the search for the right commercial occupant for the space.
The next step for the building is to place signage on or around the building. Urbanowicz said the city will most likely to apply signage around the building, rather than on, to preserve the building’s original state as much as possible.
