Allouez looks to build at 6-acre site at Libal and St. Joseph streets The village will be dealing with landowner Harry Maaco again By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle A new Allouez Village Hall and public works building will be built on a 5.7-acre site near the corner of Libal and St. Joseph streets if land negotiations go as planned. The Village Hall voted 4-3 for the site Tuesday morning after months of debate. The site was one of five the village considered. The parcel the village wants is owned by Harry Maaco, who also owns the 29-acre property the village unsuccessfully tried to condemn this summer. "I'm just glad we're progressing forward," said Village President Cameron McCain. He recommended the village proceed with negotiations for the purchase of the site. The village considered trying to again condemn the 29-acre property it originally wanted across Libal Street from the current site, but determined it might take too long if Maaco fights them at every step, as he did in a previous court case. "Time is of the essence," McCain said. In order to attempt a condemnation again, the village would show it might consider building a new fire department and community center, which the Village Board voted down Tuesday. "The fire station is good and expandable. The senior center is good. I think that we have a good plan," Trustee Pat Collins said of the smaller site. The new village hall would be located between the Allouez Central Plaza and the backyards of homes on Beaupre Street. The village hall would face Libal Street and the public works garage behind the hall would open toward the mall. In November, residents voiced their concerns about the looks of the buildings and what landscaping would be used between the building and the residential areas. Residents were assured fences, earthen berms and trees and shrubs would be used as buffers. The side of proposed public works building would be 24 feet high and the roof will add an additional 16 feet. Trustee Patricia O'Neill said she thought the long, narrow site would be too cramped for the village's needs. She voted against it. "I'm not really happy with that site. It's hard to support it," she said. McCain said he was confident the cost of the new land would be mostly covered by the sale of the village hall's current site. He said businesses have already expressed interest in the busy Webster Avenue location. "I still think the sale of this land will offset a majority of the cost," he said. The cost to the village will mostly be for "bricks and mortar" capital costs, he added. Not including land costs, the village's architectural firm, Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. of Chippewa Falls, said the building would cost about $4.5 million on the chosen site. It recommended choosing it because of its flexibility and central location. Other sites considered were Optimist Park, the soccer fields on East River Drive and the current village hall site on Webster Avenue. In addition to the land next to the Allouez Central Plaza, the village would purchase land across the street from Maaco to build a stormwater retention pond. The village is under pressure from the state Department of Natural Resources to comply with new regulations limiting particles flushed into waterways. The pond would be big enough to support any developments Maaco might build on the 29-acre lot on the east side of Libal Street.