The New Ulm City Council approved a resolution Thursday authorizing the execution of the quitclaim deeds with Minnesota Department of Military Affairs to officially acquire the former armory at 205 N. Broadway and the former field maintenance Shop at 1523 S. Washington Street.

In February, the Minnesota National Guard alerted the City of New Ulm they were disposing of the two properties. Minnesota state statute gives New Ulm the right of first refusal on both properties. The cost to acquire the two properties was $1 each.

The New Ulm City Council has long supported acquiring the former field maintenance shop because there were multiple city uses for the property including snowplow storage or fire department storage.

The former armory building was a harder sell, as the city had no obvious use for the building. The city council consensus was the former armory would better serve a private entity.

The former National Guard Field Maintenance Shop at 1523 S. Washington Street. Photo by Clay Schuldt

However, the council had the option of initially acquiring the armory for $1 and then selling it to a private entity for $1. The statute prevents the city from profiting off the sale of the armory, but the city could take temporary ownership before transferring it to another interested party.

City Manager Chris Dalton said with approval of the deeds, New Ulm would officially take over the two former National Guard sites and begin evaluating future uses of the buildings. Dalton said for the armory, this could be submitting requests for proposal (RFP) from private entities who have an interest in the building. For the field maintenance shop, this means making a determination on how to divide the property up between city departments.

City Councilor Eric Warmka made the motion to authorize the quitclaim deeds to acquire the property with a second City Councilor David Christian. The motion was unanimously approved.