Print this story |
E-mail story |
Add a comment |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
City eyes lot for police station
Published 11:45 a.m., February 2, 2010
The Fergus Falls City Council wants to be clear: It has not initiated a project for a new public safety building.
If the city hasn’t initiated a public safety building project, its come pretty close, however.
The City Council met in closed session Monday night to discuss the potential purchase of property between Junius Avenue and Washington Avenue, located across the street from Fergus Falls City Hall, for the site of a potential new public safety building.
A police department task force has recommended the Junius/Washington site after studying more than 30 locations for a new public safety headquarters.
Two weeks ago the council directed city administrators to begin negotiations with the property owners in an attempt to secure the land for future city use.
City Attorney Rolf Nycklemoe said he expects to have a purchase agreement available for review by the city council at its next meeting, Monday, Feb. 15.
On Monday, the council voted to amend its capital improvement plan, which would allow the city to bond for an estimated $5.5 million public safety building project, City Finance Director Bill Sonmor said Monday night.
“I think we should consider talking about issuing the bonds now,” Sonmor told the council. “We would bond for the whole amount even though a project has not been initiated yet,” Sonmor said.
This would allow the city to purchase the land across from city hall, he said.
Initiating the bonding process would also put into play the process that the group “Fergus Votes” used to give voters a say in future city projects.
“A group would have 30 days to initiate a reverse referendum,” Sonmor said.
There could be a sense of urgency in completing a land deal if the city is truly interested in someday locating a public safety building on the Junius/Washington site.
Sonmor confirmed Monday night that there are other parties interested in obtaining the land — one potentially being US Bank, which is looking for a new home for its Fergus Falls branch office.
story>
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post. To post a comment you will need to register. Or, if you're already registered but have not included your true, verifiable identity with your registration, you will need to update your account to include your identity. Effective Dec. 1, 2009, all posts appear with the commenter's true identity, which must be verified by site staff. Those who registered prior to Dec. 1, 2009, should be aware that once you update your information with your true identity, all prior posts under your user name will also indicate your true identity. If you do not wish to link yourself to prior comments, you should register again with a different user name.Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)
You may also register to comment in our forums at www.fergusfeedback.com.