Local Man Saves Former M&I Buildings? Maybe.

received a stay of execution on Tuesday, and an interested local buyer might finally offer a solution for the crumbling structures.

The historic buildings, 122 N. Franklin St., , with a demolition deadline set at Dec. 28 under an Port Harbor Investments LLC.

But that agreement left room for Port Harbor to find a buyer for the buildings — which might have happened, a development that moved the Port Washington Common Council on Tuesday to extend the demolition deadline to Jan. 20.

That date was chosen because that's the date by which interested buyer Gertjan van den Broek of Renew Port Holdings LLC, who also owns  and lives in Port Washington, will have to complete certain inspections and financial arrangements to close the sale with Port Harbor.

“(Port Harbor) did what we asked (by finding a buyer), and it’s a local person ... a person that has good ideas, who owns the building next door — so he has a vested interest in saving this building," Ald. Mike Ehrlich said.

A long and difficult history

The decision to extend the deadline didn't come easy, however, as city officials recalled the several , deadlines and other unkept agreements by Port Harbor that have left the buildings in a continually deteriorating state.

Council members expressed concerns that the buyer's great ideas could fall flat — just as they had with Port Harbor's investment — only to have the buildings continue on as what Port Washington Mayor Scott Huebner called an "eye sore." Adding to that, aldermen didn't want to see another summer come and go with nothing done to take care of the building's deteriorating state.

“I have no doubt if anybody can make this work, it's you … my only concern would be going through another tourist season as the building is," Ehrlich said. "I would hope that you’ll work with us to make sure that the building is safe — that it doesn’t look as a rundown building."

Repairing the building to avoid dangers to pedestrians, such as falling chunks of facade, was a main motivation for , City Attorney Eric Eberhardt said.

in December 2007, with plans to renovate the area into a more useful downtown structure. But Port Harbor never followed through on its promise to repair the buildings and the city filed a lawsuit in November 2008 asking that the buildings be declared a public nuisance, which meant a judge could order it repaired or razed.

Eberhardt with Port Harbor in the lawsuit against the company in February, under which the company agreed to raze the buildings at 122 N. Franklin St. between March 1 and April 15.  In return, the city would drop the suit. But the Common Council did not approve that agreement, and inevitably landed on a plan that would have the buildings either sold or razed by Dec. 28.

'The most unique property in Port'

While the long lawsuit process was obviously not ideal, van den Broek believes it added the necessary fuel to the fire that pushed Port Harbor to sell the buildings for an affordable price.

"The timing is right and the price is right," van den Broek said of the pending purchase. "We want to create a year-round destination that will draw people to Port Washington, it will be a destination that does not exist today (in Port) … and will serve people whether they are 8 to 80."

The Common Council plans to place this issue on its Jan. 17 agenda; van den Broek will be expected to present his plans for the building in a timely manner and in a fashion approvable by the council. If the sale falls through, Port Harbor will then be expected to apply for a demolition permit by Jan. 20.

"This is the most unique property in Port Washington, and I want to do this right," van den Broek said. I’d rather … put the idea out there, and get some input from other people … and get everbody behind the idea, before we do this."