The building isn’t blue, but the roof is sad. 

McMinnville officials have been discussing what to do with the Blue Building property for more than a decade. Time is up and a decision needs to be made, at least as far as the roof is concerned, says city administrator Bill Brock.

“After every storm that blows through, I go and look at the Blue Building to see what’s going on,” said Brock. “We had a pretty good wind about two weeks ago. I went over, and some members of the board also went over, to look at it. It’s gone. The roof structure is not repairable. It is time to decide what you want to do. Do you want to spend $200,000 to $250,000 on a building like that, or do you want to make a decision and move in another direction. I just wanted to let you know that we can no longer fix it.” 

The building has been vacant since 2009 when the city’s Police Department relocated to Red Road. Officials have discussed on numerous occasions what to do with the property. Shingles reportedly started blowing from the building during storms in early 2016. Those were replaced by city employees. In March 2017, a section of the roof’s rafters fell. Repair was authorized. 

Brock informed city officials two years ago that the roof needed to be replaced. 

“The shingles that are up there are not on right,” he said. “A lot of them are gone. They’ve been repaired. They’ve been replaced. The roof is worn out. It’s gone. It’s time to do something with it or make a decision on which direction you want to go, as a board, with that structure.”

Two years have not improved the roof’s condition. 

“The roof is spongy,” said Brock. “It won’t hold nails. My guys don’t want to get up there and I don’t want them up there anymore. It’s just too dangerous for them. We don’t have the safety equipment for that. I’m just informing you.”

Given the board’s inability to make a decision about the Blue Building, Alderman Kate Alsbrook asked, “Can we put a timeframe on this decision?”

A committee meeting will be set to discuss the measure.