Downtown renovation materials questioned

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

Some concerns were expressed at Monday?s Rogers City Planning Commission meeting regarding a building project downtown that may have been in violation of the zoning ordinance. Upon closer inspection, it would appear businessman Gary Rickard?s extensive renovation of the former Daugherty?s building on North Third, meets the building standards established in the ordinance two years ago. Rickard?s been pouring thousands of dollars into the building and has been using match funds from the fa?ade improvement program to get work down on North Third Street side and the Michigan Avenue side as well. The cost of the project is about $80,000. He plans to open the Presque Isle Athletic Club at a yet-to-be-announced date. DURING THE early part of the Monday?s meeting, some of the artificial brick panels were criticized.

Commission member Deb Greene said the material appeared to be vinyl or plastic, which would be below the construction standards set forth in the zoning ordinance. ?It cheapens the downtown, especially when people have put a lot of work

in their fa?ade to make it look extra special,? said Greene. ?That is just plain ugly.? City manager Mark Slown was directed by the board to contact Rickard about the potential violation and that he may have to look into replacing the material. Slown and vice chair of the planning commission Chuck Vogelheim, who has been in the construction business for three decades, toured the building with Rickard the next day. ALTHOUGH VOGELHEIM was skeptical about the material at the meeting Monday, he learned first-hand Rickard used a ?high-quality? siding called ?Nailite? that costs $300 per sheet, city officials said.

Slown also said it meets the ordinance construction standards, because it has architectural-design. As the city works on rewriting its ordinances, there may be an added requirement that a sample of the material will have to be brought in to be approved.

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