BENTON -- The City Council on Monday authorized the purchase of 5 acres of Saline County land for a new park complex.
Voters in November approved a half-percentage-point sales-tax increase to pay for about $37 million in bonds. The tax will fund improvements to Holland Park and the construction of a new park complex called Riverside Park, where the old Saline County airport was.
The park complex will include a new Boys and Girls Club, a senior adult center, an aquatics center, a softball complex and soccer fields, city officials have said. But the amount of land the city has for the Riverside complex isn't enough for the entire project, they said.
If the sale goes through, the 5 acres off Jackmon Street is to be used for parking lots for the park complex, according to the ordinance the aldermen passed during the council meeting Monday.
"This process going on with [the county] has been going on since January," Mayor David Mattingly said. "Based on the passing of the ordinance, they are ready to move forward with the declaration of the property for the public auction. That's a big step with putting the pieces together."
Saline County Judge Lanny Fite has agreed to declare the land -- which is adjacent to the park complex -- as surplus.
Because the government owns the land, the county has to bid out the property sale. The county has said it would sell the property to the highest bidder, who will also agree to some of its parking terms, City Attorney Brent Houston said.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the county would like to use the parking lot for certain large events. The memo would allow the county "priority parking," or parking for exclusive use, for three events per year, including the Saline County Fair. The county must give a 90-day notice for the other two events.
The agreement would last 25 years, and the county would pay $1 a year for use, the memo states.
Once the city executes the memorandum of understanding, Fite will ask the Saline County Quorum Court to accept the agreement, Houston said.
Alderman Kerry Murphy asked during a committee meeting -- just before the full council met -- what would happen if someone else places a higher bid on the land.
The seller would have to comply with the memorandum of understanding and build the parking lot, Houston said.
"We might have a chance [today] to execute a lease, which all of you should be proud of," Mattingly said during the council meeting.
The city is also working to acquire more land near Riverside Park, he said, adding that he hopes to finalize that process by mid-August.
The council on Monday also approved a resolution to allow the city to contract with Charlotte Mauldin and Coretha Jones for property to expand Ralph Bunche Park.
That land -- three lots -- is for parking lot improvements, said Alderman Steve Lee, chairman of the city's Parks Committee. The city received a $12,500 general improvement fund grant to pay for the purchase, he said.
The city is working with McClelland Engineers to draw up plans for that park's improvements, he said.
Metro on 07/29/2014