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OKAY.[1) Call to Order - Roll Call]
CALL FOR THE, UM, UM, CRA MEETING.DIRECTOR JONAS WILL NOT BE IN ATTENDANCE.
[2) Approval of Minutes]
APPROVAL FOR THE JULY 21ST OF CRA MEETING MINUTES.ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY AYE.
[3) Consent Agenda]
AGENDA.CG UM, EATERY, UM, EER, UM, ELLA'S COMMERCIAL FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT AGREEMENT.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? SECOND, BOBBY.
[4.a) Request to Purchase the Main & Bank Building by the CRA]
BUSINESS ITEMS REQUEST FOR THE PURCHASE OF MAIN STREET BUILDING BY THE CRA AS INDICATED TO YOU EARLIER THIS EVENING, THE, UH, UM, REQUEST OF STAFF IS TO ALLOW THE CRA TO ENTER INTO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, UM, WITH THE CITY OF NEWPORT RICHIE RELATED TO PROPERTY, UM, THAT WE OWN, UM, THAT'S SITUATED AT MAIN AND BANK AND ALSO, UM, SERVED AS A DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR SOME TIME IN THE COUNTY'S OWNERSHIP.THE, UM, BUILDING, UM, I'M SURE ALL OF YOU WILL RECALL WAS ACQUIRED BY THE CITY IN EXCHANGE FOR PINE HILL BALL FIELDS, AND THAT OCCURRED BACK IN 2022.
UM, AND AS I INDICATED TO YOU EARLIER THIS EVENING, WE DID BUDGET IN OUR FISCAL YEAR 25, 26, UM, BUDGET, OF COURSE, THAT THE BUILDING WOULD BE PAID FOR THROUGH THE CRA AND WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT IT BE PURCHASED FOR THE MOST RECENT APPRAISED VALUE OF THE PROPERTY, WHICH IS $1,450,000.
THIS AGENDA ITEM, IF YOU SEE FIT TO APPROVE, IT ALSO INCLUDES A BUDGET AMENDMENT, UM, TOTALING $70,000 SO THAT WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF FUNDING IN THE CRA'S PROPERTY ASSEMBLAGE ACCOUNT TO FACILITATE, UM, THIS TRANSACTION.
AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, MR. GAMON OR MS. FEAST OR I ARE PREPARED TO RESPOND TO THEM, MS. DUN.
OKAY, MAYOR COUNCIL, I'M SUE GRASSY.
UM, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WITH THE BUILDING? I MEAN, WE OWNED THE PROPERTY RIGHT NEXT DOOR THAT WAS CONTIGUOUS TO THE CITY AND YEARS AGO, I SAY 10, 12, 11 YEARS AGO, I TALKED TO, REMEMBER OUR CONVERSATION OF ME TRYING TO SELL, YOU REMEMBER? YES, YES.
AND IT'S CONTI IT WAS CONTIGUOUS TO THE CITY AND IT, THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, GOING TO BE EXPANSION OF CITY HALL AND ALL THIS GOING ON, AND I OFFERED IT FOR 300,000 AND IT, IT, IT WAS STREET TO STREET 150, UH, FRONTAGE ON, UM, FLORIDA AND MAINE FOR 300,000, AND IT WAS TURNED DOWN.
NOW I'M LOOKING AT YOU BUYING BANK STREET.
I, I GUESS MY CONCERN IS I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY GOVERNMENT IS GETTING INVOLVED IN SO MUCH, UH, PURCHASE OF PROPERTY WHEN, IF THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF OUR COMMUNITY IS TO HAVE PRIVATE INDUSTRY, PRIVATE PEOPLE COME IN AND, AND FORGE NEW BUSINESSES.
WHY ARE WE PURCHASING THE PROPERTY AS A CITY? WE OWN SO MUCH PROPERTY NOW THAT, UH, I JUST SIT IN AMAZEMENT.
AND SO I'M LOOKING AT THAT BANK, WHICH, UH, WAS A BANK WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, AND I SAW IT BEING THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN THAT.
BUT MY QUESTION IS, WHY ARE WE IN THE BUSINESS OF PURCHASING PROPERTIES? I, I THINK YOU, I'M NOT, UM, YOU NORMALLY DON'T ANSWER THE QUESTION, BUT I'LL ANSWER THIS ONE FOR YOU.
UM, THAT PROPERTY WAS A TRADE WITH US, SO WE GOT IT IN A TRADE.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE MOVING IT FROM OUR GENERAL FUND TO THE CRA.
SO THE MOVE MONEY'S TRANSFERRING AS FAIR OF ONE TO THE OTHER.
IT'S GONNA, THEN WE'RE GONNA PUT IT OUT FOR PROPOSAL FOR AND GET OUT OF THAT BUSINESS TO SELL IT.
WHEN SELL IT WAS GIVEN TO US, IT WAS TRADED.
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THE TRADE WITH THE, THE COUNTY.SO IF, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY, YOU'RE PAYING 1.44 MILLION FOR IT, AND THEN SINCE A PORTION OF IT WAS GIVEN TO YOU IS MY ASSUMPTION FOR PINE HILL PINE, WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING FROM, WE'RE MOVING FROM ONE COLUMN TO ANOTHER COLUMN IN THE CITY.
AND ARE YOU SELLING IT FOR 1.4 MILLION FOR CELLS? RIGHT NOW? WE DON'T HAVE A PRICE ON IT FOR SALARY.
BUT YOU, I SUSPECT IT BE, SO I WILL ASSUME THEN YOU ARE GOING TO BE TRYING TO RESELL THE, THE STRUCTURE FOR MORE THAN 1.4 MILLION AND IT'S NOT GONNA JUST SIT THERE FOR CORRECT.
NOT COLLECTING TAXES, NOT NO, NO.
WE'RE GONNA TRY, WE DON'T HAVE A PROJECT YET, BUT IT'LL BE OPENED UP AT SOME POINT.
THAT'S NOT CORRECT, BUT, UH, THAT'SS YOUR OPINION.
WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT IT'S GONNA SOUND, AND I'M ALMOST OUT OF TIME, BUT IF YOU WOULD ADDRESS THAT, I'D SURE APPRECIATE IT, BECAUSE I REALLY AM CONFUSED WHEN GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED IN TOO MUCH OF A COMMUNITY, TOO MUCH OF OUR LIVES, IT'S NOT A HAPPY PLACE TO BE.
AND I WORKED FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR 25 YEARS, SO I CAN JUST TELL YOU IT'S NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THIS STRUCTURE.
ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK? SEE, NO ONE ELSE CAN BRING IT BACK FOR DISCUSSION AND VOTE.
UNDER, UNDER, AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE ABRUPT, BUT THE, BUT THE LEADING, UH, QUESTION ABOUT WHAT IT'S GONNA BE.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE CRA, WE ARE A, WE ARE A DEVELOPER.
OUR JOB IS TO HELP TO, UH, REMOVE BLIGHT AND SLUM FROM THE CITY, AND AS LONG AS THE GRASSLANDS WERE NEXT DOOR, AND REMEMBER THE WAY THIS CITY WAS.
AND AS MUCH AS PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HOW SUCCESSFUL WE'VE BEEN WITH AWARD-WINNING, YOU KNOW, UH, FEATURES AND, UH, IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE, UH, A DISCUSSION ABOUT GOVERNMENT AND ITS INTRUSIVENESS PROBABLY BELONGS I THINK, IN ANOTHER, AT ANOTHER LEVEL, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DISCUSS IT AS A GROUP.
AND, UM, THERE IS ALREADY A PROPOSAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL THAT I BELIEVE CAME IN TODAY AND THOSE PROPOSALS, UH, IF THEY DID NOT, UH, WAS TODAY THE DEADLINE OR NOT YESTERDAY.
YESTERDAY, COUNCILMAN? SO PROPOSALS HAVE COME INTO THE CITY IN ADVANCE OF THE CRA, EVEN GETTING IT OR BEING ABLE TO DISCUSS THEM, AND THEY'LL BE, UH, VERY PUBLIC IN AN OPPORTUNITY REAL QUICKLY.
SO IT SEEMS AS IF THIS IS A HOT POTATO, NOT ONE THAT'S GONNA BE HELD ONTO, BUT WHATEVER THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY IS, UH, IT MAY BE A SALE, IT MAY NOT BE A SALE, IT MAY BE, UH, CITIES LIKE TO LAND THAT HAD BEEN VERY FAMOUS FOR THEIR REDEVELOPMENT, UH, HAD A, HAD ENGAGED IN THROUGH THEIR CRASS, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, RETAIL TRAFFIC BY PURCHASING AND ACTUALLY RE UH, REPAIRING BUSINESSES THEMSELVES.
SO THE CRA CAN DO IT, OR WE CAN SEND IT OUT AND SOMEBODY ELSE CAN DO IT, OR THEY CAN TEAR IT DOWN OR THEY CAN FIX IT UP.
AND WE'RE GONNA HEAR ALL ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
SO PAY KEEP IN TOUCH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THAT DISCUSSION AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE A PART OF IT.
I, I THINK, LIKE I SAID AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING, THAT THIS IS A FIRST STEP IN ACTIVATING THAT PROPERTY AND BEING ABLE TO, UH, GET THE ASSEMBLAGE IN PLACE, NOT NECESSARILY THE MONEY, BECAUSE AS THE MAYOR POINTED OUT, THIS IS MORE OF, UH, LE LESS ABOUT PURCHASING ANYTHING BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY OURS AND JUST GETTING IT IN THE RIGHT POSITION TO BE ACTIVATED.
UH, THAT BEING SAID, UH, WHILE THE CITY MANAGER AND I HAVE SOME DISAGREEMENTS ON, UH, OR WHAT I FEEL IS STARTING TO BE SMOOTHED OUT, BUT SOME DISAGREEMENTS ON HOUSING AND SOME DISAGREEMENTS ON, UH, SOME OF THOSE ISSUES, UH, I, I ALWAYS GIVE HER CREDIT AND HER STAFF CREDIT FOR FOLLOWING THE DIRECTION OF THIS COUNCIL AND ACTIVATING OUR DOWNTOWN AND MAKING SURE THE PROPERTY IN OUR DOWNTOWN IS BEING USED AT ITS BEST FIT.
UH, THERE IS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN WALK DOWN DOWNTOWN AND POINT TO JUST ANY BUILDING AND, AND SEE HOW COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, THE CRA AND THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, TAXPAYER DOLLARS HAS BEEN PUT TO, TO GOOD USE IN GETTING PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN OUR DOWNTOWN.
I THINK THE LARGER CONVERSATION THAT'S GONNA BE HAD TO, TO THE POINTS RAISED IS, UH, IF WE'RE DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR AS WE PLAN ON DOING
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WITH THE SCHWEGMAN BUILDING, OR EXCUSE ME, THE OLD GOLF, HISTORICAL GOLF HIGH SCHOOL, OR IF THIS WILL BE A, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH A DEVELOPER, OR IF IT STILL IS SOMETHING LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, A PUBLIC DOMAIN PROJECT WITH SOME SORT OF PRIVATE INVOLVEMENT.UH, THAT'S FOR US TO DECIDE UP HERE.
UM, UH, IS THIS, IS THIS IN OUR, IS THIS IN OUR CRA PLAN FOR, IT IS IN THE CRA PLAN, RIGHT? YES, IT IS.
AND WE DID RECEIVE FIVE RESPONSES TO OUR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL YESTERDAY, WHICH THE STAFF WILL EVALUATE AND FORMULATE A RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU TO CONSIDER.
SO I THINK, I THINK THIS IS A, UH, EXCITING TIME FOR THAT, FOR THAT BUILDING.
I, I, I RECALL A YEAR, MAYBE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO WHEN THE CONVERSATION WAS OVER THE AC UNIT, AND NOW IT'S ABOUT RESPONDING TO FIVE POTENTIAL, UH, RFPS FOR DOING SOMETHING THERE AND, YOU KNOW, RESPECTING THE HISTORY OF THE BUILDING, BUT ALSO, UH, MODERNIZING IT TO SERVE A PURPOSE BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE CORNERS OF OUR, UH, CITY IS PARTICULARLY ON BANK STREET THAT YOU, YOU SORT OF WALK PAST AFTER YOU ADMIRE THE MURAL.
UH, AND NOW I THINK IT'S TIME TO, TO ACTIVATE IT.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE CRA IS FOR, AS COUNCILMAN ALTMAN POINTED OUT.
SO, UH, THIS IS JUST THE FIRST STEP AND I, I, I HOPE THAT SAME ENERGY COMES PLEASE, UH, WHEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH THOSE RFPS TO MAKE SURE WE GET THIS RIGHT.
BUT I DO HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE, UH, IN OUR CITY MANAGER TO, TO, TO, TO LISTEN TO HOW WE'RE STEERING THE SHIP AND, AND, AND, AND HELPING US STEER THAT SHIP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFIED AI AYE, AYE.
[5) Communications]
COMMUNICATIONS PATEL? UH, NO SIR.I THINK I HAD SOMETHING, BUT NO, SIR.
YEAH, JUST TO, THE COMMENT MADE ABOUT THE $300,000 OFFER.
IF ONLY YOU COULD SELL IT TO US TODAY, WE'D SNAP IT UP IN A HEARTBEAT.
BUT LOOK WHAT HAS HAPPENED NOW THERE'S MORE MONEY AND IT, IT MAY OR MAY NOT EVEN BE FOR SALE.
UM, BUT TO, UH, EXPLAIN THE CRA ONE MORE TIME, UM, THE, THERE IS A PROHIBITION AGAINST THE USE OF CRA DOLLARS TO BUILD ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE SPACE.
SO IF THAT, IF THE CRA WOULD'VE BOUGHT YOUR PIECE, IT WOULD'VE PROBABLY TRIED TO PUT SOMETHING COMMERCIAL AND LET IT BE SOLD SO THE, THE DOWNTOWN COULD EXTEND ITS WAY A LITTLE CLOSER TO CITY HALL, WHICH WOULD BE NICE.
AND I'M SAD THAT IT HAS BEEN EMPTIED EVER SINCE, UH, DR.
GRASSLAND PASSED AWAY, AND, UM, I MISS HIM.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
WAS THE CRA EVEN IN EXISTENCE WHEN, WHEN THAT PRICE WAS ABOUT? IT WAS LIKE 2015.
I DO, I WAS GONNA SAY 3000, 300,000 MIGHT NOT EVEN BEEN IN EXISTENCE.
IT WAS A GOOD DEAL, PROBABLY, BUT YEAH.
ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNAL I TO SAY GOODBYE.