The last remaining lot in Rush Creek Business Park, 900 Enterprise Drive, will be the future home of Volkman Auto Body. The City of Rushford received an offer, through Darr Realty, from Leigh and Kayla Volkman, and the council approved it unanimously at the August 27 meeting. The amount is comparable to other per acre values in the industrial area, due to a number of easements that run through the parcel.
Volkman’s offer, $40,000 for the three-acre lot, which sits at the southern, cul de sac end of the drive. “It’s a simple and straightforward offer,” said realtor Rod Darr. “They’re not looking for anything special. There are no contingencies or financing needs.”
Taxes on the sale will be prorated. The city only began paying property taxes on the lot this year. “It’s a little incentive for us, if the the council decides to get rid of it,” added City Administrator Tony Chladek. “Someone else will be paying the property tax.” Taxes on bare land parcels are in the neighborhood of $800 per year for the city, according to City Clerk Kathy Zacher.
Survey work will need to be done on the lot, prior to the completion of the sale. “There are a lot of easements around this thing that gobble up a lot of the three acres,” noted Chladek. This includes 40 feet on the east, 15 feet on the north, 10 feet on the west, and 10 feet on the south.
A gravel/grass lane currently extends south from the end of the cul de sac, along the west side of the lot, and gravel Reservoir Road runs east/west near the south end of the lot. Zacher indicated the fire department wants the ability to get up the roads if needed. Councilor Terri Benson questioned whether an improved road could be put in either location. Zacher indicated the road from Enterprise Drive may be straightened out or improved at some point, but improvements, if any, would be minor. Darr questioned any future assessments on the parcel if either road is improved noting they would be an unforeseen financial burden for Volkmans. Zacher added that the city is not anticipating improvements at this time.
As for the cost of the survey, Chladek suggested the buyer share the cost of a survey with the city, with the buyer’s portion not to exceed $1,000. Darr didn’t foresee issues with the city’s contingency and anticipated a closing date of October 11.
In other news, Chladek indicated a recent meeting between himself and representatives from seven Fillmore County libraries was highly productive. The group is pushing the county for funding equalization. Recently, Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) reviewed a number of pieces of historical data, as well as current circulation figures, in hopes of bolstering their cause. According to the data, typically the cities of Chatfield, Harmony, Lanesboro, Mabel, Preston, Rushford, and Spring Valley fund their libraries at 70%, while the county adds the remaining 30%. However, data indicates that just 60% of usage is by city residents, while 40% is non-city, county users.
Library and city representatives met again Tuesday, August 28, with district Fillmore County Commissioners in hopes of making a positive adjustment recommendation to the county. Chladek noted at the August 27 council meeting that if the meeting was unsuccessful in achieving some push for change, library and city representative from all seven cities would join together to attend the upcoming County Commission meeting and request a place on the meeting agenda.
“SELCO finishing up a three-year contract. This is the time to make a change,” noted Chladek. “We’re recommending they take the next six years and start closing this gap. We’re not asking them to do it all at once, but it will mean they’ll have to dramatically increase their funding level year to year. It’s time for a change. That’s the message.”
Another recent meeting between the committee for Rushford-Peterson School facilities saw progress with a prospective buyer for the former elementary and high school facilities in Rushford. While the City of Rushford had begun to prepare a Plan B for the site, it’s temporarily on hold as the process with the prospective buyer moves forward. “We need to carry through the process,” said Chladek. “The next meeting is September 12. We’ll see where we are then and keep you posted.”
Freshly added sidewalks along Pine Meadows drive, from Highway 43 to the new school site are nearly complete and should be so prior to the start of the school year. Approved by Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the sidewalks provide a much-needed safe access for students. MnDOT has also approved the moving off crossing signs from the former facilities to the new crossing area, as well as new crosswalk striping. The department has suggested having assistance from volunteer crossing guards, coordinated by the school, would also be helpful. The Lions Club is currently discussing assisting in this role.
Additionally, the speed in the area may be dropped from 35 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour when children are present.
“The school really took the initiative on that. Things really came together very nicely,” added Chladek. “This will also leverage possibilities with MnDOT in the future.”
The council has also approved new language to Revolving Loan Fund guidelines, per Economic Development Authority recommendation. The change will add potential public use of revolving loan funds, strictly for economic development.
“It’s a big thing,” noted Councilor Terri Benson. “This is about growth and development. It’s very clear and concise about what it can be used for.”
Any approved use of the funds will also require a public hearing, according to the new language, something not currently done with other fund usage. “It’s not the same restriction of dollars. It gives you more transparency,” clarified Zacher.
“It just gives us one more tool in the event something comes up,” added Benson.”It puts the tool in place in case there’s an opportunity.”
A number of upcoming events for the city are currently planned and approaching soon. They include a Civil War presentation, put on jointly by the Lions Club and the Rushford Public Library Board, Root River Jams, and Taste of the Trail. The public is encouraged to watch for further details of the events.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, September 10, at 6:30 p.m., at city hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
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