The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

Expending more money to restore the historic Lyon Street School came to a halt at the Monday, May 9th, Peru Town Board Meeting. When the agenda item requested by Town Historian Ron Allen came up for discussion Supervisor Peter Glushko stated, “We need a comprehensive plan for that building…we need to know what we have to do each year, but we have to budget for it. We can’t Band-Aid it every year, especially after the budget’s been done. Found money is a thing of the past, especially with the tax cap.”

Ron Allen explained that for the past three years 98% of his budget has been devoted to the schoolhouse. When the Town was gifted the building for $1.00 in 2010 Allen thought the building was in excellent condition; however, once the town took possession, structural problems were discovered. Support timbers and a sill had to be replaced and the front cement steps and patio repaired at a cost of just over $10,000.

Roofing was purchased a cost of approximately $3,000. Last year a contractor was awarded a bid to install the roofing at a cost of $3,230, but he later withdrew the bid. Monday night Ron Allen said he recently received a $6,400 bid to install the roofing. He also explained that prior to installing the roofing the tower has to be replaced and the bell has to be painted. Allen said, “These things have to be done no matter what. I have no problem putting my entire budget into this, but we’re still short.”

Supervisor Glushko agreed that the town has a responsibility to maintain the building, but he continued, “We need to have a process. I’m trying to help. Do we need to set up a committee? Do we need to get the town engineer involved? The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Is there any grant funding available? What do we want to do with that building and how do we get there?”

Councilman James Langley responded, “I have a thought. Since we have a new code enforcement officer coming onboard, why don’t we have him look it over? I’d be more than happy to go out with him.” The board agreed with Langley’s suggestion. Meanwhile, restoring the schoolhouse is at a standstill.