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Mayor Roger Parent City of South Bend • I.O.O. F . Building Decem6er 21, 1981 Page Two F-1 Please consid3r these additional facts. Allowing the building to stand presents the public with no major hazard to .its safety. Just last Thursday U. William Walter and Robert Placte of TRISCO SYSTEM, INC., building restoration specialists, looked at the building here in South Bend. There is no question that the terra cotta exterior has been allowed to deteriorate, but no major hazard exists. The building should be more closely inspected to this regard and particularly to identify and mark pieces that may be irreparably damaged due to delayed maintenance action and to assure that no critical area exists. This is a relatively simple and not costly operation and could. be undertaken immediately. Also the necessary terra cotta repair program could be undertaken next spring without any difficulty. And the alleged doubling or more of cost for this, terra cotta repair work is incorrect. The only cost extras would be for the additional facade inspection that could be undertaken immediately and for minor cost increases for escalation and higher wage rates due to the delay. Even at this the first class repair cost will be less than the cost of demolition. Specific information on this is available to you from U. William Walter at TRISCO . Another mistake should be corrected. It has been alleged that Transpo. • wants the I.O.O. F . site. Transpo does require some 40,000 square feet of clear land but as a matter of public record its preferences are for its present location , rectangt: lar configuration, with three or four bus loading lanes, "long" side running north -south. It seems the City has indicated a desire for frontage along Main St for possible commercial development so all of their present location apparently would not be available to Transpo. Taking these factors and the actual space needs program of Transpo into consideration along with the Rouse program for a possible Century Mall downtown the attached design study and site analysis of the area prepared by crumlish/sporleder and associates notes clearly the I.O.O. F . building is not in the way of developing an excellent Transpo downtown facility. The proposed scheme also creates a major downtown open space link axially relating Century Center with the Court House and with first Bank Center and River Bend Plaza. It also provides the City with commercial development along Main Street ,as desired. Indeed the I.O.O. F . building assists in strengthening the DOWNTOWN SOUTH BEND redevelopment intent. Thanks for your help and action on this important community matter. Sincerely, ~� Donald E. Sporleder, AIA cc: City Council Area Pian Commission Redevelopment Historic Preservation Commission