MELFORT — After years of renovations, a part of Melfort’s historic post office is available for commercial use.
The commercial rental space, the post office’s north annex, includes over 2,400 square feet of floor area on the first level, plus the potential to utilize a full basement. It has high ceilings, large windows, a loading dock and parking area at the rear.
The city will be seeking a three- to five-year lease with renewal options.
Renting out the space is part of the city’s long term plan for the heritage building, with the initial step being to secure the property from decay.
The current step is to activate the space and utilize it for short-term uses. A short-term use for the city is anywhere between five to 10 years.
“As a result of the repairs we have done to the building, we have inched closer to have the building ready to be occupied,” said Brent Lutz, Melfort’s director of development.
The replacement of the windows, as well as repairs to the exterior and roof, have brought the building to a state where a tenant can be comfortable.
The city intends for money from the rental to go towards maintaining the property, which Lutz said is substantial to heat a building of that size when even vacant.
“The ultimate strategy for the city for the long-term will be to put in a use in the building that would create traffic in our downtown and would bring people to the centre of the city.”
In the meanwhile Lutz said it makes sense to generate revenue from it and make improvements to the building.
“The north annex was a later addition to the building. It was built probably in the ’60s, and that portion is an addition to the original structure, so it’s very easy to separate that building.”
The larger portion of the main floor is maintained by the city to utilize as a unique rental venue. The public is now able to rent the great hall for functions of up to 150 people.
Previously the great hall could only be used for city sponsored events, and the city kept staff on hand to ensure that everything was functioning property.
“We had a lot of requests to use the property and up until now, for the very same reason we haven’t tried to lease it up until now, the building just wasn’t comfortable and safe enough to have regular rentals in there,” Lutz said.
The space will be treated similarly to renting a community hall, where the renter will be responsible for their own setup and teardown.
Lutz believes it will attract events such as special family celebrations, reunions, weddings and anniversaries.
