Agreement Would Give Village Control Over Home Canning Property

Blissfield will have full control of the Home Canning property if its partners agree to execute the property acquisition and demolition agreement approved by village council Monday night.

Council voted 5-1  to pass a draft agreement which states that the village shall be “solely responsible for the pricing, marketing, and sale" of the 35-acre purchased for $150,000 at an auction April 9. Trustee Mark Burgermeister, who voted against the motion to bid on the property, was the lone dissenter.

Trustee George Brown was absent from the meeting.

The draft agreement also spells out how the partners will be paid for their investments. The agreement states that as each parcel of land is sold, the parties will receive a proportion of the net sale proceeds equal to the proportion of what they’ve contributed to the project.

The deal also clarifies how the village and its partners would deal with the issue of the village using a portion of the land for village facilities. In such a case, the village and the partner would each retain an appraiser. Those appraisers would retain a third appraiser, and the three would determine the value of the land. The partner would then receive a sum of money, based on the appraisal, as it relates to the proportion it committed to the project.

Village Administrator Jim Wonacott said the village partners received copies of the draft agreement and had not responded

In other news relating to the Home Canning Development, council voted 6-0 to pay an additional downpayment sum of $15,000 to the bank handling the sale. The village paid originally paid a downpayment of $15,000 on the day of the auction. The bank recently requested the money as a measure of good faith, because the village has not yet closed on the property. The village was to have closed on the property within 30 days of the auction. The closing has been held up because the phase one environmental study, which must be done for liability purposes, is not yet complete.

“The way I see it, the price isn’t changing. It’s only a question of who gets to collect the interest on the $15,000 for the next couple weeks,” said President Jae Guetschow.

Wonacott estimated that the village would close on the property by June 17. The phase two environmental study should be completed by mid July.

In other news from Monday’s council meeting:

· Council voted 6-0 to approve mid-year budget amendments. The village took in more revenue than expected, mostly because utilities were used more last winter than they were the previous year.

“Our finances are reasonably sound given the condition of the circumstances of the state economy,” said Wonacott, who said things could be worse next year. “Next year, I think we’re going to be in a holding pattern. There won’t be much room for capital projects. But relative to some communities, who are laying off employees and cutting services, I think we’re in a good place right now.”

· The village voted 6-0 to give Tony Casper and the Blissfield SkatePark Committee the go-ahead for plans to bring a new 24-by-36 foot half pipe to Ellis Park. The equipment, valued at $6,000 and purchased for $4,500 by Casper and the committee, should be installed this summer. The committee needs to raise $1,500 to finish paying for the equipment. Casper also told council about several upcoming events. The Skate-4-a-Cure Relay for Life event takes place at 10 a.m., June 26. The Skate Camp headed by pro Bill Danforth takes place July 5-7. The Lenawee Skate Jam II takes place Aug. 22.

· Council voted 6-0 to approve a new credit card use policy for village employees. Previously, village employees did not have access to a “company” credit card. Misuse of the credit card would be considered serious employee misconduct, according to the policy.

· Wonacott informed council that MDOT is asking the village to cut $150,000 from the U.S. 223 streetscape project. Council will re-evaluate the plan at its June committee meeting. The project is still schedule for 2011, although Wonacott was skeptical that it would survive the state’s budget crisis.

· MDOT has also told the village that it no longer has the funds to reimburse the village street maintenance, such as streetsweeping. The village typically receives about $4,000 annually for the service. This issue does not affect snow plowing.

· The Rose Auction Gallery on South Lane Street will be auctioned off July 11.

· B-Town Bar and Grill wants to change its liquor license to allow patrons to dance. Council will consider the request when Police Chief Jane Kelley is done with her investigation.

· A company called Monroe Fiberglas Products is looking to leas a 4,000-to-10,000-square-foot facility in the village.