An ongoing struggle to remodel the historic Elks Lodge in downtown Medford for The Copper Plank pub has hit a financial snag.

The Medford Urban Renewal Agency, made up of Medford city councilors, is considering a request from Copper Plank to help pay for unexpected electrical and disability improvements to get the restaurant opened.

“It’s what you call a money pit,” MURA board member Jessica Ayres said.

She said it’s difficult to get a conventional loan for this kind of remodeling project, not to mention the challenges of upgrading a historic building.

At an Aug. 15 meeting, the MURA board appeared receptive to offering some kind of assistance, which could be in the form of a no-interest loan.

The board indicated a preference for dipping into MURA coffers rather than through a City Council fund, largely derived from cannabis tax dollars.

Ayres and other board members also said it was important to preserve historic buildings in the downtown. Renowned local architect Frank C. Clark designed the Elks Lodge in the Beaux-Arts style. Clark also designed the Sparta Building at the corner of Main Street and Riverside Avenue, as well as many other buildings and residences in Medford.

Ayres, who supports providing the financial help, said the amount needed is roughly $150,000, though a more precise estimate will be required before MURA makes a decision to help renovate a 1915 building that has largely been empty since 2014.

“The big expense of getting The Copper Plank in there is electrical,” Ayres said.

Normally, she said, she’s not in favor of using city funds to help for-profit businesses, but she said many historic buildings need some kind of grant or loan program if the city hopes to fill them with businesses. “We’re going to have to start helping these downtown buildings,” Ayres said. “Downtown is one of my priorities.”

Many historic buildings require seismic upgrades, elevators or disability lifts. MURA already provides money to help with seismic retrofitting and fire sprinklers.

Owners of The Copper Plank, Amy and Cory Maukonen, want to move their existing business at 454 Highland Drive, Medford, to the new location at 202 North Central Ave.

Once the remodeling is completed, Copper Plank and Annex Fusion Dance Studio will occupy about 25% of the building.

The Maukonens raised money for the restoration, and as they neared completion, they ran into problems with the existing electrical system.

Cory Maukonen said most of the work has been done to upgrade the electrical system, install heating and air conditioning units, plumbing and sewer lines.

“We’re not asking for the first $150,000 to get started, we’re asking for the final $150,000,” he said. “We’ve done a lot on our side. Both parties are at the end of our budgets.”

Maukonen said it’s been a challenge adding a commercial kitchen with a pizza oven.

Some of the final work is needed to ensure that all of the 28,000-square-foot building is capable of supporting future tenants on all three floors.

The final electrical work will provide the power for an HVAC system for the entire building.

A disability lift on the outside of the building requires additional work to make sure it functions properly, Maukonen said.

If MURA provides the final dollars for this phase of the remodeling effort, Maukonen estimates The Copper Plank could open in six to eight weeks.

In the future, Maukonen and the building’s ownership group will likely remove the disability lift, which Maukonen describes as “finicky,” and provide an elevator to access all three floors.

Because it’s a historic building, Maukonen said it has qualified for some grants, and applications for more grants will likely occur in the future for an elevator, which will make it easier to attract other businesses to the basement and upper floor.

“Our vision is to finish the building in phases and to add tenants that fit well together,” he said.

One of the goals is to remove the disability lift added to the south side of the building, an addition that detracts from the style of the building.

Harry Weiss, director of MURA, said he’s hoping to see a more precise breakdown of what it’s going to cost to allow The Copper Plank to open in the building before it’s voted on by the MURA board.

“We really need a sharp pencil,” Weiss said.

He said the owners have already invested considerable dollars into the renovation work.

“It’s one of the most complex and challenging projects in the downtown,” he said. “The developers of the Elks Lodge are really kind of hamstrung.”

MURA board members appeared receptive to helping the Elks Lodge remodel get over the finish line.

Board member Kevin Stine said, “I’m fine with a zero-interest loan.”

The MURA board indicated it might consider the Elks Lodge as a pilot project that could be expanded more in the future to help other buildings in the downtown.