Lewiston's Bollinger Center will go on auction block

Sep. 12—The building that was once home to the Lewiston Civic Theatre will soon be put up for sale by the city of Lewiston, for a minimum price of $67,000.

Lewiston's city council approved a public auction for the Anne Bollinger Performing Arts Center during its meeting Monday evening at the Lewiston City Library.

The building at 805 Sixth Ave. will be listed on the website GovDeals.com, perhaps this week, said Aimee Gordon, city treasurer. There will likely be a 30-day bidding window.

The sandstone building started life as a Methodist church in 1907 and became the home of the Civic Theatre in 1972.

In 2016, the discovery of a failing truss supporting the roof prompted the city to condemn the building. The Civic Theatre organization didn't have the money to make repairs, so it turned the building over to the city in 2017.

The city completed a project in January 2018 that stabilized the roof truss, repaired major leaks and covered the windows and stained glass, but it has spent the last five years pondering what to do with the building. It is no longer listed as condemned, but is still considered unsafe.

The minimum price of $67,000 represents "a summation of all the monies the city put into stabilizing that building," said Mayor Dan Johnson.

The five councilors in attendance all voted in favor of putting the building up for auction. Some of them expressed hope that a potential buyer will find a new use for the structure, but they also acknowledged the sale might lead to the building's demolition.

"I also think it would be a great facility for someone who has the forethought and (is) looking into the future for that type of structure. I think they could do a pretty fantastic job of it," Councilor Rick Tousley said. "But that's going to be up to someone who makes that decision to purchase that. Not us. We don't need to worry about that."

Councilor Jim Kleeburg brought up a concern about the city still being liable if — even after it sells — the building fails and causes an accident.

"If the property is sold, it's going to be up to the new property owner to insure that property," said Kayla Hermann, city attorney.

If the building doesn't sell, the city will have to decide what to do with it, Johnson said.

In other business during Monday's meeting:

* The council approved the construction of a sewer bypass line in downtown Lewiston, for a cost of about $1.1 million. The work will be done by M.L. Albright & Sons.

The line will only be a short stretch that runs from 12th Street to the Levee Bypass near the Nez Perce County Courthouse. It will be part of a larger project that will eventually result in a sewer line running west along the Levee Bypass, which will lift the burden of an old pipe that runs under Main Street, said Dustin Johnson, Public Works director.

The bypass plan will also allow the city to "save a significant amount of money" by avoiding digging up the Main Street sewer line when work is done on the road in the future, Johnson said.

The project the council approved Monday must be done at this time, because the owner of the Bargain Hunter Mall is planning to build a new parking lot in the area where the sewer line will be installed, Johnson said. After it is installed, the short stretch of sewer line won't be put into service until the entire project is completed.

* The council approved a road improvement project on 21st Street from Seventh Avenue to Nez Perce Grade, for a cost of $2 million. The work will be done by VSS International Inc. and is scheduled in two phases, with the first starting next week and the second ending Nov. 10.

The project will include the reconstruction of pedestrian ramps to meet ADA standards, sidewalk infill, pavement patching, new stormwater manholes and fiberseal of the pavement.

This project isn't a long-term fix to the busy four-lane route, which draws many complaints from residents for its rough condition.

"This is a Band-Aid, is that right?" Tousley asked.

"Yes and no," said Alana Bailey, engineering project supervisor. "Yes, the fiberseal is a Band-Aid; we're hoping to get 10 years out of it.... But part of this work will be part of the permanent solution. So the ADA ramps we do, the sidewalk and the stormwater — that will be part of the permanent solution."

* The meeting, which took place on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, began with Interim Lewiston Fire Chief Greg Rightmier and Lewiston Police Officer Terry Koeper leading those gathered in the pledge of allegiance. Rightmier also made comments about the tragedy, reminding those in attendance to "never forget."

* Johnson issued a proclamation declaring Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week. He was joined by three local members of the Daughters of the American Revolution when he made the proclamation.

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2262. Follow him on Twitter @MattBaney_Trib.