HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977 08-25 City not interested in buying building ST. PAUL DISPATCH (E) St. Paul Dispatch Thurs., Aug.,25, '77
Citynot interested in buying building
By.SCOTT CARLSON ""''' `'' Last February, Maplewood fated, "I bet it would cost you a
MO pie wood< '' -` $1 million to renovate(the
Staff Writer p voters approved a referendum
for a $995,000 public works building)."
92,000-square-foot Ryan Equip- maintenance building by a vote Councilman Donald Wiegert
buildin ng beenm offerederil office
ment building, 2055 White Bear of 1,322 to 1,132. A similar mea- added that city purchase of the
gAve.,could be used as a future sure for park acquisition and 18-acre site would mean taking
sale to the city of Maplewood for government center. However, development,however,failed on "lot of property a
$1.8 million. But city officials city councilmen at their last reg- a vote of 1,655 against and 794 rolls." pro eft off the tax
say they f_ no strong interest ular meeting said plans for a for the referendum.
in the offer. new municipal garage are too
CALHOUN REALTY has in- far along to consider the Calhoun City Manager Michael Miller
formed Maplewood that.the Realty proposal seriously. said the costs of the Calhoun
Realty offer would require an-
- other bond issue. "I've had some
staff members express an inter-
est that they would like to look
into it (the offer) as far as a staff
report,"he said.
But Miller added, "We've pro-
ceeded an awful long way with
the public works building."By
purchasing the Ryan building
there would be a loss on the ga-
rage construction.he indicated.
"The thing should be very well
justified before we proceed with
it,"Miller continued, "even as-
suming they (Calhoun Realty)
would come down in their price."
Councilman John Greavu
agreed. "I think we could have
looked at it had we not gone with
the public works garage. I think
they(Calhoun Realty) are just
late."
"I CAN'T see looking at it
now,"Greavu said.
Miller noted that if the city
considered another bond issue
"we'd have to hold up on the
present public works building.
"By the time we get around to
possibly having one_bond issue
fail and having to fall back on
the other one, the prices may
have gone up so much we can't
afford the one we had passed
before,"he explained.
Mayor Burton Murdock specu- r