Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
An historic schoolhouse in a Shawano County park has survived a recent fire, but the resulting cleanup and repair needs are stirring questions about who is responsible for paying the bills.
The fire broke out Oct. 10 on the grounds of the Shawano County Historical Society and damaged a schoolhouse used to educate the public about the area’s pioneer days.
Although the extent of the damage initially was not known, officials say the decades-old building emerged without any sign of significant structural loss.
Historical society officials hope to have the schoolhouse repaired and restored by next spring, in time for the organization’s summer-long season of public tours and events.
County officials, however, are cautioning that the smoke has not cleared entirely on questions of ownership and responsibility for the schoolhouse restoration.
“There’s a lot of things to sort out yet,” said Supervisor Tom Kautza, chairman of the county’s highway and parks committee.
Committee members were briefed earlier this week on the fire and on subsequent efforts to determine the county’s precise relationship to the private historical society.
Located in county-owned Heritage Park at 524 N. Franklin St. in Shawano, the nonprofit historical society maintains a complex of historical buildings that include the schoolhouse, as well as a church, train depot and others. The campus is open to the public for people to learn about life in the Shawano area during the 19th century and early 20th century.
Although the park property is county-owned, the ownership of the historical buildings themselves is not quite as clear.
On the afternoon of Oct. 10, an historical society employee discovered fire burning inside the schoolhouse. Officials theorized that the blaze was sparked by a dehumidifier that overheated or malfunctioned inside the schoolhouse, which had been closed for the season.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze within a couple of hours, although the building and its contents were badly hit with smoke and water damage.
The building had been furnished to re-create the look of an authentic vintage one-room schoolhouse.
Mike Eidahl, president of the society, said the fire destroyed some bookcases and damaged desks and other interior furnishings. The building itself appears salvageable, Eidahl said.
“We’re structurally sound,” he said.
Eidahl, who indicated at the time of the fire that the schoolhouse was owned by the county, said he has been encouraged by early discussions with county officials about making a claim with the county’s insurance company. The insurance company has already hired a cleanup contractor to begin removing furniture and other contents from the building, he said.
Eidahl said he got the impression that the county’s insurance company would pay for the damages, minus a deductible that the county would pay.
He added that he hopes to have the schoolhouse restored by May 1.
“I think we’re moving forward,” he said. “I think we’re going to be doing it right.”
County officials said the insurance company hired a cleanup crew to guard against any further damage to the building. The county has not decided whether to file a claim with the insurance company, or whether the damaged schoolhouse is the county’s responsibility at all.
Supervisor Randy Young, a member of the highway and parks committee, said it is not clear yet whether the schoolhouse is owned by the county or by the historical society. Having a private group operate in a public park, Young said, has created an arrangement that is “kind of weird.”
“That’s something else that we have to look at,” he said.
If the schoolhouse is owned by the private historical society, both Young and Kautza said it is questionable whether the county should be using any public resources to pay for the restoration.
Kautza described the building’s ownership as “a gray area” that will take more time to consider.
“We’re just starting the process,” he said. “It’s hard to say right now.”
