The State Bar Association of North Dakota Winter 2014 Gavel Magazine | Page 31

hagen Lends his LegaL sKiLLs to heLP
restore the maddoCK oPera house
When a community takes on large projects, volunteers with experience in many
areas are crucial to their success. This has
been evident during the five years the
town of Maddock has spent restoring its
century-old Opera House.
Maddock native Lee Hagen, who
practiced law in Fargo until becoming
semi-retired in 2004, keeps a home in
Maddock to stay connected with family
and many friends. He stepped forward in
2009 when the Maddock Opera House
Association was formed to restore the
historic building on Main Street. “It had
been sitting empty for nearly a decade
and I volunteered to be on the board of
directors.”
Right away he was able to use his legal
background. “First we needed to form a
non-profit corporation, and then I helped
negotiate a 50-year lease from the city.”
An anonymous donation of $230,000
in 2010 provided a kick start to the
restoration. First to be done was the
exterior – brick repair, new windows and
a roof. Then the focus was on the interior,
housing the community library, a bar,
restaurant and coffee shop. Each of these
needed leases that Hagen helped negotiate.
He helped the two women opening
the coffee shop set up a limited liability
corporation. “They and about 20 other
women are member owners of the LLC
and share profits,” says Hagen. “They
are not paid any salaries or wages, so
the overhead is reduced to a minimum.
Nevertheless, because they share in net
profits, they all have an incentive to make
it work.”
Hagen has also assisted with grant
writing, which to date has brought in
$220,000. “A total of $750,000 has been
spent on the project, in addition to
the donation of nearly 4,000 volunteer
hours,” he says. “And, there has been a
steady stream of volunteer work for me
where I have been able to use my legal
experience.

The Gavel Winter 2014

Now, the association is looking at
restoring the building’s second floor, and
possibly adding gaming in the bar. They
are also looking at adding a recreation
area in the basement for both children
and adults, he says. “This has required
a review of the town’s building and fire
codes.”
“It’s been a real treat to be involved in
this,” Hagen says. “The 12 board members are truly remarkable. They have
many varied talents and backgrounds,
and together we have had a wonderful
time working on this project.
Board member Rachel Markestad has
been active in designing the interior
and is the building’s events coordinator.
“Having this Opera House reopened on
Main Street has provided a much needed
meeting place for so many people,” she
says.
She praised Hagen’s involvement on the
board of directors. “He has been a wonderful resource and I can’t imagine how
much money he has saved the project
with the donation of his legal services. He
offers wise advice, has so many