Lower Burrell looks to revamp old tax office into community space

Courtney Kobelenske is excited about the possibilities a new community center in Lower Burrell can provide.

“I think it would work well for people that need it. We could use it, other individuals could use it,” said Kobelenske, who organizes the AK Inclusion Games and helps to coordinate work opportunities for special education students at Burrell High School.

The former tax office is across from city hall on Bethel Street. The tax office moved to city hall after a renovation project was completed in 2020. The building has been vacant since then.

The ultimate goal, according to Mayor Chris Fabry, is to repurpose it into a community room for gatherings.

“This is a rare opportunity where there is a genuine need in the community and a solution to that need just sitting there, waiting for someone to take action,” Fabry said.

“There are so many groups in our community in need of a place to meet and store their memorabilia,” Fabry said. “This gives them a safe, local option.”

Council on Monday awarded a $6,930 contract to DG Construction & Property Management to build a new metal roof on the former tax office. DG was the lowest out of three responsible bidders, Fabry said.

The money is included in the city’s 2024 budget, City Manager Greg Primm said. Lower Burrell’s public works department will remodel the rest of the building.

Primm said the space could hold 40 or more people.

He is hoping the building can be ready in the spring.

“We’ve had so many requests to use our meeting hall, so the hope is to alleviate that and have a space where they could have decent-sized meetings,” he said.

Fabry said the city will pursue grants to pay for other repairs.

He said the building sat idle for years, with no upkeep. While officials have talked about doing something with the space, such as demolishing it for parking or trying to sell it, no action had been taken.

“The one thing that we kept coming back to, time and time again, was a place for community groups to meet,” Fabry said.

There are few spaces in the city where groups can have meetings, Fabry said.

People could use Fisher Hall at Burrell Lake Park, but that can be a challenge with snow and ice in the winter. In the summer, Fisher Hall often is rented. Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 lets people use its space, but the firefighters need the meeting room for their own operations.

The city also isn’t immune to overlapping meetings. On Feb. 20, Fabry is hosting a community meeting the same day as a municipal authority meeting. The old tax office could serve as an “overflow” space, Fabry said.

Details on who will have access to the space and scheduling are being coordinated.

“With all of the groups in Lower Burrell in need of a meeting location, I anticipate the building being used more nights than not throughout the year,” Fabry said.

Kobelenske said it would be more beneficial for city groups to have one local designated meeting space.

She thinks the space could bring more collaboration among city organizations.

“It would be a great hub,” she said. “Everyone always wants to get together.”