Council approves sale of land at business park
Staff reporter
After brief negotiations Monday, Marion City Council and business owner David Yates came to an agreement regarding additional land for the new business.
Yates and his wife, Laura, had requested at previous meetings additional land on both sides of Superior Wine and Liquor store at Marion Business Park for larger vehicles and parking.
Yates pointed out that 20 feet was lost because of the location of support wires for an electrical pole.
Currently the lots on the first row are 100 feet wide. Yates suggested changing the footage of the remaining lots to 150 feet wide to better accommodate business development.
He then offered to purchase Lot 4, the lot directly east of the store, for $2,000 which was previously offered by the council. Yates said he still needed 20 feet on the west side.
City administrator David Mayfield informed the council that city attorney Dan Baldwin, who was not at the meeting, had advised Mayfield that an agreement could be made between the city and Yates for 20 feet on either side.
Mayor Martin Tice asked Yates if he would consider purchasing Lot 4 and 50 feet of Lot 6, located on the west side of the store, for $4,000. Yates responded that he wasn't prepared to make a decision for that much money.
With that, Tice then offered Lot 4 and 20 feet of Lot 6 for $3,000. Yates accepted that offer.
When put to a vote by the council, councilmen Jerry Kline and Stacey Collett opposed the sale, but the motion passed 3-2.
In other business:
— City treasurer Becky Makovec was appointed by the council to also serve as assistant city clerk.
— The council changed the size and cost of a lot at the business park.
City economic development director Jami Williams reported that the city wanted to retain additional land in the southwest corner lot for utility purposes which reduced the lot size from 239.6 feet to 114.6 feet. The council approved the lot size and reduced the price of the lot from $6,000 to $3,000.
— The bid opening for a building at the industrial park will be at the council meeting Nov. 20. Five bid requests were sent to area companies with two companies declining to bid.
— Leonard Klassen and Ralph Kreutziger were re-appointed for four-year terms to Marion Housing Authority board.
— A payment request of $140,409 to Walters Morgan Construction Company was approved for water plant improvements.
— A lease agreement for a sign near the K-150/U.S.-50 intersection, two budgeted transfers, warrants, and payroll were approved.
— Williams reported she had conducted a customer service seminar at St. Luke Hospital and was asked to provide another one. She attended an area economic development meeting, will attend a workshop about the Safe Routes for Kids grant, and was interviewed about Marion in Topeka by a television station.
— Rodney Richmond, representative of the recreation commission, provided a quarterly report.
Thirty-one teams have signed up for basketball which will bring people to town for a minimum of seven weekends.
The council approved the installation of a concrete pad at the baseball complex for a canopy. REC will pay for the materials. The canopy will be moved from the swimming pool.
Richmond reported that REC pays USD #408 $17,000 per year for the REC director's salary. The school then pays Margo Yates. This enables Yates to have a KPERS retirement benefit.
He also informed the council that the copier soon would need to be replaced.
— A 15-minute executive session was called with the council, Williams, and Mayfield to discuss trade secrets. When the meeting reconvened, there were no decisions.
The next council meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in the city building.
