10/13/2003 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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a lot of wires but his understanding is that at times, homes can be cut in hal£ There was discussion about the move down into the Metro Parks of the cabin, the Briggs House, the Carpenter House. The turns and steep hills presented a problem. Mr. Dailey asked if anyone had a discussion with Clint Williams to see what he did over in Olmsted Falls. Mrs. Lord pointed out Olmsted Falls is a Certified Local Government. Mr. Barker asked the Mayor if he sees any extra funds coming into the city in the next three or four months. Mayor Musial said the only thing that may come in is through the Ohio estate tax but with the exemption being what it is, they cannot rely upon that anymore. Mrs. Lord suggested they might turn Rebecca's into an office. She asked how much is being paid in rent for office space not currently owned by the city. The Mayor replied it is roughly $17,000 a year. Mr. Barker brought up the idea of moving the building to North Olmsted Park. He said the downstairs could be renovated for either meeting areas, rentals, and perhaps a hot dog vendor in the summer for ball games. He asked if it could become part of the Recreation Center. The Mayor said it would be difficult to move it to North Olmsted Park because space is limited there already. It might take away from the ambiance that they have. He thinks another location to consider is on south Canterbury Road. They have a strip of land there. He added, the city can sell the house and make a couple hundred thousand dollars on it, which might be more important than the historical point of view. He said he thinks by cutting the home in half they will not have that much difficulty moving it down Canterbury. It would be in the historical district. Mr. Barker asked who would determine and approve the use of that land for that purpose. Mayor Musial indicated it would have to be a vote by Council. Mrs. Lord asked the Mayor if he thinks it would be worth pursuing that, given their discussion tonight. Mayor Musial said he believes it would be. He cannot speak for the Council but it seems to fit in with the entire area there. He asked Mr. Halleen if he has a specific schedule that he is working with. Mr. Halleen said the law states they have six months. Mr. Lang said by mutual agreement the dates could be altered. Mr. Halleen said it has taken him 2 1/2 years to make that corner look as nice as it does now. He said he is really upset. The board is asking him for $10,000-20,000 in a round about way, yet he hears people from City Council comment about "how Halleen screwed the city out of $100,000" on the property down by the library. He commented that no one from Council is present. He said the city has the library on that property now but they took it away from him. He could have sold that land for $600,000 but he had to sell it to the city for $485,000. He said the city has cost him money and Council is bad-mouthing him stating that he ripped the city off. The Mayor said if the answer is no, then they know exactly how much time they have. Mr. Halleen said he thought he was being nice because it is an old building, and he respects things like that, but it does not fit into his plans and that is not why he bought it. He said he somewhat disagrees with Mr. O'Malley, but that is another issue. Mr. Halleen said right now no. Mr. Barker asked Mr. Halleen if that means that on February 11, 2004 he will have a ball sitting at the corner of Porter and Lorain to tear down the building. Mr. Halleen said he answered the question. Mr. Barker asked if that is his answer also. Mr. Lang said yes, as of tonight. Mr. Barker said the commission is trying. They have a budget of $500 so they have to try to find funds from anyone they can and that is why they are meeting. He is also disappointed that other people who were invited to the meeting are not present. Mr. Halleen says it shows him they don't care. Mr. Dailey commented that it would be difficult for Council members to go to every meeting they are invited to. He said Council trusts its representatives on various boards to report back to them. He said he cannot speak for all of Council but he would like to see them work something out. He said there may be some bad feelings about prior things that have gone on with the city but he hopes Mr. Halleen can give them a couple extra months as long as there is progress being made. Mr. Halleen said if he didn't care, he would not have offered the building in the first place. He said he will not make a commitment one way or the other right now. He said he has been in the city since 1968 and always pays his taxes and he keeps a nice, clean place. He is upset about the bad- mouthing that has gone on. Mr. Dailey said that as a salesman he sees this as an opportunity to prove those people wrong. Mrs. Lord said the board appreciates that Mr. Halleen put up the "For Sale" sign in the window after the last meeting. She asked if he has had any interest. Mr. Halleen said there was 7