Needed repairs to the Jonas Museum’s garage were approved on March 2 by Steelville aldermen after $5,000 from Jonas family foundation funds were allocated toward repairing siding and stabilizing the structure.

The city is paying local resident and Parks Panel member James Hayes to do the work.

The structure has slipped off its foundation in some areas and the Masonite siding on it has absorbed water and crumbled. The windows and garage doors are rotting and the three-tab shingles on the roof were last replaced 20 years ago.

Damaged pieces of siding will be replaced with fiber cement boards that look the same, but are more durable. Hayes plans to purchase the materials from Perkins Lumber under a city purchase order for transparency. 

The decision came after some disagreement among the aldermen and mayor about how much money should be spent on repairing the garage, which stores old museum items. The aldermen discussed moving the items into the back room of City Hall and getting rid of the garage if it wasn’t necessary, rather than spending the money to repair it.

The city has about $30,000 available in unappropriated Jonas Museum Foundation funds that can go toward museum repairs. 

Alderman Ward 1 Bill Bennett said he heard repair estimates of $12,000 to $15,000 to fully repair the structure, including the siding, windows, doors, roof and foundation, but questioned whether the city should make the investment. 

“Is it worth it?” Bennett asked. “I was in there yesterday, everything inside can come back (to City Hall), be covered up until we can give it to (the Steelville Historical Society). I don’t know we’re going to control the Jonas Museum forever.”

“It’s being entrusted to us as a museum, and I consider that part of it, in fact, that we’re responsible for maintenance,” Mayor Terry Beckham said.

“It needs a lot of maintenance, Mayor, you know that. More than just a couple dollars on siding,” Bennett said. “It needs a lot of love.”

Beckham was in favor of capping the city’s spending at $5,000 and addressing the immediately necessary repairs now. Bennett was concerned about the structure being able to withstand only having its siding replaced without the windows and doors also being addressed. He suggested getting a professional opinion to find out whether the structure should be torn down.

“I just hate to see something like that that’s been here for so long torn down,” Alderwoman Ward 2 Lula Patterson said. “There you go again, tearing the town up.”

Alderman Ward 2 Jason Ward said he was in favor of spending the money to fully repair the structure down the road, but felt the siding needed to be addressed right now to prevent it from getting worse. 

Hayes has already begun the process of removing the old siding. Beckham estimates the repairs should be a fast process, not taking longer than three to four full days of work.