Feasibility study: donors pledge majority of funds for Dell Rapids bathhouse; presenter asks city for $58,000

Governor Dugard presented the results of a feasibility study for restoring the historic bathhouse and said community fundraising is well underway. He told the council that interviews and information meetings reached nearly 200 people, that 32 individuals or couples were interviewed in depth and that he has “identified gift intentions of about 285,000,” which he said is roughly 70% of the project’s updated cost estimate.

Dugard outlined engineering recommendations to stabilize the south side of the structure — including 16 helical piers anchored to quartzite, a thicker slab that would allow skid‑loader maintenance after floods, and a standing‑seam steel roof bolted into the existing concrete walls. He summarized contractor bids for major elements (helical pier bid, a 50‑year steel roof, electrical and security work) and said the combined package placed the grand total close to previous industry estimates. “If the council would commit the financial support of $58,000, which is essentially the cost of the building demolition, I’m very confident we could move forward with this project,” he said, asking the city to commit both to modest street work and to that sum so donors would be more likely to follow through.

Council members pressed Dugard on timing and operational questions: whether slab removal should wait until replacement can be finished before winter; where a vault toilet would sit and how often it would need pumping (the presenter said state‑park style vault toilets are serviceable and likely need pumping roughly once per year); and how any camera/security system would be monitored and integrated with the city. Dugard also flagged a grant deadline of Sept. 5 to the Daughters of the American Revolution and said further engineering and final cost estimates remain to be completed before major construction could begin.

Next steps: staff and council members discussed engineering follow‑up, grant applications, and whether the city could budget the requested street work or demolition funding; no formal vote on city funding was taken at the meeting.