An architectural firm hired as a consultant to look into possible additional improvements to The Barn at Larry G. Crites Memorial Park told the Festus City Council that adding a climate-control system to the structure would not be advisable.
However, during the May 26 council meeting, representatives of Navigate Building Solutions spoke of a number of other improvements to the structure the city could pursue. In addition, Navigate looked into repurposing an existing metal annex building and constructing a new Parks Department office and storage facility in the park.
Council members made no decisions on the matter, only listened to the presentation and asked questions.
Navigate’s advice on what to do next on The Barn, which the city uses for its own events and rents out for receptions and other gatherings, would be Phase 2 of the structure’s renovations. Phase 1 cost $727,303 and was completed in May 2025.
If the council members were to approve all of the suggestions from Navigate – including repurposing an existing metal annex building and constructing a new Parks Department office and storage facility – the total cost is estimated at $4,773,545.
City officials have considered adding a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system to The Barn, but Dustin Roberts, Navigate senior project manager, said a climate-control system would not function well in the old structure and to make it more air-tight would alter the rural charm of the building.
“Instead of providing a full HVAC heating and cooling system in an old barn not suited to heating and cooling, we actually redirected and looked more into ventilation,” Roberts said.
He elaborated in response to a question from Councilman Kevin Dennis of Ward 3.
“It’s not an air-tight building and so the thought was, if we are heating and trying to cool that space, the city’s probably going to incur a significant energy increase in utility costs,” Roberts said. “And, the wear and tear on equipment – I would say the replacement cost would be sooner rather than later.”
Dennis also asked if anything could be done to make The Barn more suitable for a heating and cooling system.
“Your options are this,” Roberts said. “If you want to keep The Barn as aesthetically pleasing, old as possible, and want to put the HVAC in it, you’re going to lose everything that it looks like currently in its state. Because it needs to be insulated, both the roof and walls.”
Among the Phase 1 improvements to The Barn included: installing a new corrugated metal roof and new doors; filling gaps between wall boards; putting in a sprinkler system; updating electric; adding decorative lighting and ceiling fans; removing fencing and tearing down some old buildings and the old silo; constructing a new deck; and making The Barn fully ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible, including building a large ramp.