New tenants for Dewey-Radke house

(Pictured is Deb Retka, a member of the West Side Improvement Association, as she looked down from one of the landings at the Dewey-Radke House. The house has a basement, three floors and a widow’s watch tower. Staff photo by Joyce Moran)

According to Jerry Lochner, manager of City Services, recent improvements to the house included a new furnace and electrical upgrades.

Discussing the west side group’s request, the consensus of the council members was, “If they want to rent it and heat it, let them.”

Still, City Administrator Rich Carlson warned the group, “It’s a beast to heat. And, you can’t do anything for-profit there. Like, you can’t rent a room to an insurance company. Otherwise, you’d have to pay property taxes.”

Crowder then asked if the City could start the rental process off with the amount for renovations brought back to $3,000. When asked if the group, like the previous renters, would be gone in a year, Crowder answered enthusiastically, “We’re not going to be gone.”

While the council members appeared to be quite willing to rent the house to the west side group, the latter was told the Park Board would first have to approve the agreement. Still, they were told they could have “a right of entry” to the house, and could start making repairs—while accepting the risk that the rental agreement had not yet been officially approved.