ELY – On a 6-1 vote Tuesday night the Ely City Council sold the historic Community Center building to the K America Foundation for $30,000. Paul Kess voted against the transaction.

A Minneapolis couple, Jimmy and Africa Yoon, has proposed to renovate the vacant city-owned building, built in the 1930s, and repurpose the historic landmark into a facility to house Korean culture and heritage camps.

Despite the racially-charged community discussion over the issue for the last several months, there is the possibility that the Community Center could return to city ownership if the Yoons’ business plan does not succeed.

Terms of the transaction allow for a six-year window and a possible three-year extension, for the new owners to complete millions of dollars in renovations and move forward with their dream.

Angela Campbell told city council members that she is still waiting to implement her own plan to restore the Depression-era community social hub to its former glory. Her proposal was presented after the K America purchase agreement was signed by the council.

She appeared before the council and presented what she called a “closing statement” regarding the Community Center sale.

The closed-meeting and “secret” discussions and negotiations over the sale, required by law as requested by the potential buyers, was the incentive for Campbell to start an inquiry and develop her own proposal. “In less than two weeks, I presented a proposal, a synopsis of my business plan,” she said.

Even during the period of public hearings required to sell the building, and the property zoning-change hearings, Campbell said she was pushed to move forward with her plan and line up investors. “People called me and said they loved the Community Center, and the memories and the histories,” she said. “To me those were of value.”

She said she learned from the process. “I wanted the Community Center to once again be the Community Center,” Campbell said. “There is so much division these days. When that Community Center was built, there was a depression going on. There was a deep, deep quest to work, and build these mines and support families. That’s what I envision the Community Center to be once again.”

As a member of the Heritage Preservation Commission, Campbell helped Celia Domich clean out the Community Center after the library vacated the facility. She said she heard many memories from Domich about the old days. “I cried with her. I heard these voices in my head of parties and stories that filled those rooms,” she said.

“I am willing still today to stand in, if the time comes, to re-establish our Community Center,” she said.

She closed by commending the city council members on the job they do for the community. “I want you to know how much I appreciate what you do,” she said. “I also want to thank our citizens and the people who love Ely from afar.”

She respectfully thanked the K America Foundation and the Yoons. “All they wanted to do was to buy a building,” she said. “And I just want to say that I will be waiting.”

Other business

In other business, the city council:

Approved the recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Committee to rezone the Community Center parcel from P-2 to R-T, and make the buyer aware of concerns from neighbors regarding parking and maintaining the historic nature and architectural character of the building;

Approved a note and mortgage for E Sheridan Properties, LCC, to repair and insulate the roof at Insula Restaurant;

Approved mortgage satisfaction for Bryan and Alexandra Cole;

Directed the City Attorney to develop a proposed annexation agreement with the Town of Morse;

Approved a $7,000 commercial renovation loan for Stony Ridge on Shagawa Lake to upgrade their café heating;

Authorized submitting a bill for $46,488 to Holiday Station Stores for the Memorial Day fuel spill response.