Politics & Government
What Should Marion Do with Tons of 100-Year-Old Bricks?
Brick was found beneath the asphalt in the construction area in uptown Marion, but the Marion City Council doesn't quite yet know what to do with it.
Marion is now in the possession of a few very large piles of bricks stripped from our historic downtown district during .
This sounds boring, I know, but keep with me here.
These bricks were found under the asphalt in many sections of the downtown area, so Public Service director Ryan Miller said they're likely to be 100 years old. But he said he couldn't begin to estimate how many tons of bricks they have.
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They still might be usable, despite their age. And they may also be worth something.
But Miller said Marion will need plenty of volunteers if they want to move the bricks or try to clean them.
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So, the heard a few options as to what can be done with the bricks:
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Sell them as is. Public Service director Ryan Miller said the bricks are "not worth much in this pile." He noted that a wholesaler in Iowa City is interested in buying them as is, but that Marion wouldn't get as much value for the purchase.
Donate. The Marion Heritage Center and other organizations have requested using the bricks for updates to their facilities. Miller said this could be a better alternatives because volunteers will likely be more willing to clean the bricks for a local institution, rather than for the city to sell them.
Re-purpose them. City Council Member Paul Draper said Marion could look at using some of these historic bricks on the reconstruction of certain areas Seventh Avenue.
The council ultimately will hear propositions from those that are interested in the bricks, and not to decide on the bricks right now.
What do you think Marion should do?
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