Shiloh: Red Barn property sale in limbo, negotiations for sale underway

Shiloh’s Red Barn property at 2400 Country Lane remains in limbo pending negotiations for its sale.

“Subsequent to the opening of the Jan. 11 bids, someone made an offer to buy the Barn. We are awaiting a resolution of that offer,” Norm Etling, village engineer, said Monday.

Mayor Jim Vernier said he has not signed the demolition bid contract, yet.

“I’m just really glad someone stepped up in its final hour to save it,” he said.

While driving along east on Hartman Lane, southerly of Frank Scott Parkway and northerly of Lebanon Avenue, it’s hard not to notice the dilapidated and boarded up Red Barn property along the skyline at the end of Country Road that once was a local hot spot for a string of unsuccessful restaurants in Shiloh.

Although the property’s past failed business endeavors, Vernier said he’s confident the time has come for The Barn to make a comeback.

“It’s a unique building, and it was a shame we couldn’t find anyone sooner who had the money and energy to fix it up again,” Vernier said. “But we were contacted by someone and he wants to fix it up, and it’s going to eventually be put back on the tax rolls.”

In the beginning of March, the Shiloh Board of Trustees entered into executive session to discuss the prospective purchase.

Following the approximate 10-minute executive session, Trustees Mark Kurtz, Greg O’Neil, Tina Warchol and Bob Weilmuenster, voted to authorize Vernier to enter into negotiations with a potential buyer interested in purchasing the property.

Village Clerk Brenda Kern said Vernier is working on negotiations now.

“I anticipate it would happen fairly soon,” she said.

Kern said she is unable to comment further about the negotiations, and who the potential buyer might be.

“I think it would be great if they could save the building, because it’s such a neat old building and hopefully it all works out,” Kern said.

The Barn’s past

Since the Village of Shiloh paid $185,000 for the Red Barn property in 2009, the three level, 10,197 square foot. building has sat vacant.

Last year, Trustee Mark Kurtz noted his dissatisfaction with the lack of action by village staff and the board to move forward with making the Red Barn structure into a workable space for its residents.

“The mayor wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons, but really it’s just a glorified storage spot for the village,” Kurtz said previously.

On Jan. 21, 2015, Village Administrator John Marquart, told the village board that there had been interest of acquiring the Barn property and returning it to a useful structure by opening a business, as well as, interest from a couple organizations over the past several months.

Two main issues needed to be addressed, the roof needs to be replaced and the mold needs to be re-mediated.

Marquart proposed to remediate the mold at a cost of $37,707.

“We feel the first effort needs to be the replacement of the roof so as to start to dry out the building,” Marquart said.

After reaching out to several roofing firms, Marquart estimated the cost of replacement to be in the ball park of $48,705 to $95,307.

According to a request for development proposals issued by the village, and included in the Feb. 23, 2015 Committee at Large agenda packet, “the village desires to receive development proposals on a 4.97 acre parcel. The parcel around a previous restaurant known as The Barn constitutes the area for which this proposal is intended. It is currently zoned B-2 office/business to allow for professional offices, convenience stores, day cares, restaurants, residential health care as special uses.”

The barn had been vacant for over two years in February 2015, and was in need of being brought up to code to be habitable.

Also stated in the document, “The vision of development that motivates the village is a use integrated into a single plan featuring internal pedestrian, cycling and vehicle circulation together with a comprehensive landscaping plan.”

The village cleared brush and implemented extensive infrastructure to Sierra Park in the last year, including adding pedestrian paths and pavilions, which add to the outdoor aesthetics in that small area behind the barn property, Etling said.

Since then, the village has considered potential negotiations with the Ainad Shriners of Southern Illinois, based in East St. Louis. But the organization withdrew its consideration last summer stating it wasn’t a good fit for what the organization needed in terms of future growth.

“They were interested in moving, but after they organization had a full vote sometime around last September, they told us they decided not to move their home base after all,” Vernier said.

“I think fixing it up, plus moving to a whole new location was going to be too costly for them, so they are still in East St. Louis.”

Following a Nov. 22, 2015 KMOV news report highlighting a local Shiloh resident, Ashley Hiliard complained of the “eyesore” near her subdivision near Shiloh’s Sierra Park.

“It’s an eyesore. Shiloh officials use the land to dump construction materials, and they’re left for years at a time,” Hiliard told KMOV reporter Lauren Trager.

Most of the construction materials, ranging from fence posts, large metal and PVC piping, poles with broken concrete, and several tons of gravel have since been moved from where some of it was previously being stored on the property near the parking lot adjacent to the Montessori School St. Clair property. Other piles of fencing and materials were in the rear of the building.

There were also a number of safety hazards at one time, including exposed rusted wiring and fencing in various locations; broken beer bottles scattered about. There was even a two to three foot uncovered hole in the ground next the the rear of the building that had a children’s scooter lays among trash and debris; and, shattered glass galore, primarily located the base of the front of the building where the main entrance once was.

Floor to ceiling windows stretch in the front of the building. At one point in time, village staff placed wire meshing over top of the windows to prevent possible break ins, but over time those windows were broken, whether by vandals or weather is unknown.

The meshing, however, was large enough for an adult to fit his or her forearm, and possibly more, through the holes into the building, which Etling agreed was a safety hazard.

Sierra Drive Park is less than a half-mile from the rear of the property, and evidence of children playing was present on the property, such as kids socks, toys, candy and Popsicle wrappers, and the children’s scooter that appeared to have fallen into the uncovered hole.

“We’ve boarded it up, but we’ll take another look,” Etling said.

Within days, the village staff added more boards to the visibly shattered windows that remained.

Etling said, the building is set for demolition anyway, so the less attractive particle board facade wouldn’t be an issue for much longer.

That was before the village approached for possible purchase down the line.

Today, the hole has been covered by a large slab of concrete and a sheet of metal from a nearby air conditioning unit, which Etling confirmed was done in November by a public works employee. Moreover, the gravel pile and scattered construction materials have since been removed.

Previous to the purchase offer made in February, Shiloh voted to award a demolition contract to raze the former eatery to Supreme Trucking and Excavating LLC, of Roxana, for the amount of $28,250. There were a total of seven other bids. Hank’s Excavating & Landscaping Inc., of Belleville, bidded at $34,000; Munie Trenching & Excavating Inc, of Highland, bidded at $39,500; Stutz Excavating Inc., of Alton, bidded at $39,750; Hayes Contracting Inc., of Collinsville, bidded at $42,900; S. Shafer Excavating Inc., of Pontoon Beach, bidded at $43,665; Demolition Excavating Group Inc., of Manito, Ill., bidded at $65,000; and, Wyandotte Corp., of Swansea, bidded at $78,786.

The potential buyer and amount of the offer have not been made public, yet.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Shiloh: Red Barn property sale in limbo, negotiations for sale underway."